A Hundred Years Worth of Journals
by what-if-i-told-you
Summary: Everyone has a past. Edward is certainly no exception. When he finds his former journal, he is taken back to a time when he loved someone else. ExOC (A must read.)
1. Prolouge

Before I begin, I would like to point out that this particular story has been on my mind since I first saw the deleted scenes of Twilight. Since then, I was inspired to write about the contents of these journals of his that he seemed to want to keep a secret from Bella. This is really based on the movie since I don't remember the journals in the book, however FanFiction doesn't have any category about the movie Twilight so I had to put it in the book section. Please note that I'm not particularly good at writing sex scenes, plus I don't particularly enjoy reading them, however in some cases it can be an important factor in stories so instead, whenever you see this page break: ~~~/~~~ know that sex is implied (not to be confused with the ... that only means a break from the blurb and the story, be mindful my lovely readers). Also another important thing I'd like to point out is that this story comes from 3 points of view: Edward's (which the preface is written in), mine (as an all-knowing narrator) and Edward's from his journal entries. After the preface, I will signify this by **bolding **journal entries,_ italicizing_ Edward's narration and keeping all the dialogue and my narration in normal font. Anyway, it appears complicated but when it happens, you'll understand. Please, please, please comment and I hope you enjoy.

...

_It's been nearly fifteen years since I first met Bella. We've been married and had our daughter Nessie and we've been exceptionally happy. That is, of course, up until about three months ago. We took an extended trip to Carlisle's old apartment in Cobble Hill. Just us three. Nessie wanted to see the city and how could we possibly refuse that precious face? _

_But since then, Bella has been different. She came home at ungodly hours of the night, if at all. She smelled as if she was with others and she never told me what she did. So one night, I asked Jasper to come over for the night to watch Nessie. Then, I followed her. I never thought I would ever distrust my wife enough to need to follow her when she goes out at night but it happened. And what I saw... it was worse than I could've ever imagined._

_She was murdering innocent people. Drunks at nightclubs, people passing near alleyways, couples strolling in the park late at night. It must have been three or four people whom would never see the light of day. Then she would take what's left of them and burn it, throwing the ashes in the East River. She looked so pleased with herself. She would smile as they burned, like a demented child. When I got home, I told Jasper to take Nessie back to Washington, it didn't matter what he said to explain, I just wouldn't stay in that poisonous city any longer. I packed all of our things and sent it with Jasper. Only the keys to the front door stayed behind. I waited for her, patiently, when that small knock came I was calm enough to sit with her and talk about this like rational adults. When I opened the door, it all disappeared._

_There was one thin streak of blood going down the side of her lips. It was so small, barely noticeable to a human. But it sent me off._  
><em>For hours, we yelled and screamed at each other. I told her that she's setting a bad example for Nessie; she told me that she was only indulging herself. I told her that I saw her and that if she enjoys it that much, she won't be able to break the habit. She told me it was in her nature. I told her that it is not in the Cullen nature. To my surprise, she fell silent. She reached into a pocket in her small jacket and took out a vile, filled to the brim with a thick, red liquid. She took off the cap; the scent of fresh blood permeated the room.<em>  
><em>"Come on..." she whispered, coming closer to me." It's what we were meant to do." She chuckled and dipped a finger in the vile. "It's why we're here." She moved her finger close to her mouth.<em>  
><em>"We're going home... everything is packed and already on its way home, Nessie is with Jasper, there's nothing you need to do. Bella, love, let's just get out of here. This was a mistake." She was chest to chest with me at this point. She had scraped her finger on the side of the vile and brought it to her lips.<em>

_"If you drink that, I will force you into the car." She raised an eyebrow and brought it closer. "Stop!" It was at her lips, "GODDAMN IT BELLA, STOP!" She downed it like a shot and let out a small moan as she drank it, almost as if it was an erotic experience. I grabbed her and brought her to the car, kicking and screaming._  
><em>It just hasn't been the same after that.<em>  
><em>Everybody's spoken to her, telling her that it's not fair to people that they should die so we are fed and she has promised to never do it again but we are different. I can't trust her as I used to. She apologized to everyone, she begged for forgiveness from me and Nessie. And we acknowledged her apology. But it was reluctantly so. She felt so guilty that she nearly starved herself to death. Ten days she went without a drop of blood. Human or not. She was slow and weak. Carlisle begged her to stop and took her with him and Esme to Vancouver. They were to spend a long weekend to relax and hunt. This is the first night they're gone. This morning, I simply stared out the windows, waiting to see one of them walk back into the house, followed swiftly by the other two.<em>

_"Please stop." Rosalie told me after a little while, "You look like a depression patient." She walked off and I sighed and walked upstairs to my room. I looked around, slightly disgusted with myself._  
><em>It was a mess.<em>  
><em>I took a minute to straighten it out a little and I saw something I haven't thought of in years. There, on the floor was a fallen stack of medium sized leather-bound journals. There were ten, of course. I knew that already. They were black, all of them. They all had a dark red ribbon as a bookmark. They were all filled with my most sacred memories of a time of complete happiness and bliss. I picked one up, the familiar smell dancing in my nose. I opened the book to the marked page. There was just one word that caught my eye. It was a name. A name I hadn't heard since my wedding day but hadn't swooned over guiltlessly for over a century.<em>

_Cara._  
><em>The name flooded me with memories, my happiest memories. I smiled, remembering her.<em>  
><em>Cara.<em>  
><em>It still amazes me how perfect she made my life. Yes, if my life had been perfect, it was because she was with me for most of it.<em>  
><em>Cara.<em>  
><em>Cara is where my story starts.<em>  
><em>I grabbed the other nine journals and picked up the oldest one. I was eight years old when Cara gave me this journal. She had only been living next door to me for about four months, but she and I were already best friends.<em>  
><em>I opened to the first page, sucking in a breath, unsure of what I had just gotten myself into but it was okay. Whatever I wrote, I could handle it.<em>  
><em>Here I am, talking about Cara without explaining her. Cara is my best friend. Cara is one of the reasons why I am the kind of person I am today. Cara is, without a doubt in my mind, the most selfless and caring person I've ever met in all my years. Cara is many things. But above all, she is my first love.<em>


	2. The Pencil

This is the first chapter of my little experiment with the different fonts. I hope its flows as easily as I imagine it will. Remember:** bold** is the entry, _italics_ is Edward, and normal is the narrator (me). Okay? Lovely. I usually get inspired by a song but I can't picture a proper song for this memory (Is it a memory? I suppose). It only makes me wish that Edward could have been born in the 50's... so... much... good... music... Oh well. Now as I read over the story for the final time, I see it's in past tense, if you're wondering about that, it's because he's writing it as if it just happened a minute ago. But, I may switch to a present tense, if I do, that's just a typo. I have huge issues with tense agreement, my apologies. I doubt it will get in the way of the story, I just want to let you know. I own nothing of Twilight but there are some original characters (i.e., Cara) so those **_are _**mine. No stealing, guys. Really. Promise? Alright. Please comment, your comments fuel me as a writer.

...

**20 June, 1909**

_Has it truly been so long ago? I smiled as I flipped the page to my atrocious penmanship. I was only eight; writing was not exactly my forte. In fact, it was a small miracle to find that the spelling mistakes were limited and it was relatively easy to read._

**It is my birthday today. Hopefully you knew that.**

_I couldn't help but laugh a little. That was adorable. It continues:_  
><strong>Today was alright I suppose. It may have been worse if Cara was not there. She's really nice. Today for my birthday she gave me this book because she told me to write down my thoughts of the day. She said she does it and it makes her feel good. She says if I like it, she can get me one every year for my birthday. She even gave me her magic pencil too.<strong>  
><em>This gave me pause.<em>  
><em>Magic pencil...<em>  
><em>I bookmarked the page and closed the book, placing it on the couch. The memory was lost somewhere in the depths of my subconscious. It took a minute or so until it was retrieved in full. If my heart were beating, it would have beat faster at that moment. I was at my bookshelf in an instant. I was so excited that I forgot that I was wearing socks and nearly skidded across the hallway. Luckily I only slipped a little and regained my balance quick enough. I reached at the higher shelves and pulled down my original copy of Dubliners. I never read it since I heard that it was about drunkards. But, if memory serves...<em>  
><em>Yes, of course. I opened the book which was hollowed out and contained various small items. I once treasured these items that were Now kept hidden away from my wife, my child and, more importantly, me. I gazed down at it in awe. I felt like a child once more. I pulled out a short, heavy pencil. It was awkwardly rounded and had a dull point. The eraser was plucked off long ago and the dull paint hinted at a previous yellow hue. I held it with care as I examined it and slowly bent down to my knees. I placed the pencil on the floor and watched with great enjoyment as it slowly began to roll along the perfectly level floor. The memory came to me full force. Yes, she was right. This was indeed a magic pencil. It was because of this silly, disproportionate pencil that I met Cara those years ago.<em>

Before he was Edward Cullen, he was Edward Anthony Masen. For his entire life, he lived in Chicago, one of the busiest, tightest, most exciting cities in the country (and of course, the windiest). Since he could remember, he never had neighbors. He lived on a corner between a tailor and a shoe store. The only way he could really ever have a neighbor is if someone moved into the apartment above his. But no one ever did. And why would they? He heard stories of it from kids he knew on neighboring streets. It had bugs under all the furniture, the walls were painted with blood and the dust came to life at night (allegedly). However, around five months before his eighth birthday, electricians, plumbers and decorators ran up and down the stairs like bees from a hive. His mother was instantly excited, hoping and praying that the new neighbor would be someone famous or, at least, friendly. His father shared a much more silent enthusiasm about it. He hoped very much that the new tenants would be a family with many children around Edward's age. He thought often of how his son preferred a quiet room to a group of friends. This confused and concerned him greatly. Edward, however, had no expectations of these new people. In fact, he was a little upset. He never wanted anyone too close by, people moving upstairs felt like an invasion of privacy.  
>But, whether they liked it or not, moving day came.<br>It was a spectacular swarm of muscular movers hauling comfortable couches and exquisite end-tables. Their furniture looked expensive and it seemed to be a never ending amount of it. Emerging from a shiny car was two of the most stunning people Edward had ever seen up to that point. The woman was on the shorter side with curly blonde neck-length hair. Her skin was fair and her eyes were an emerald green. But surely, the thing that made her so gorgeous was the way she walked for it was with a certain strut that said she loved her life. Holding her arm tenderly was a man of her same height with much darker skin. A Spaniard no doubt. His hair was black and slicked back so it came close to his head. His eyes were dark and full of happiness. The man took his wife in his arms and carried her from the outside porch to the beginning of the stairs. They giggled and spoke quietly to each other. Edward looked away; he knew when to give people their privacy.  
>He looked towards the Ford on the curb. There was a third person emerging from it. With difficulty, to say the least. A pair of little black shoes felt for the ground below before settling on it. Her skirt fell to a little bit above her ankles (it was winter after all) and her petticoat went to her knee. She turned and reached for a box inside the car. She held it close to her. It was small and closed in a haphazard manner. She had every intention of opening it immediately.<br>She looked over to Edward, a few locks of curly dark hair falling to her face. They looked at each other with slight confusion and wonder. Never had either of them met a child their own age of the opposite sex. They smiled at each other at the same time. Edward waved politely. The girl scrunched up her face and closed her eyes tightly. The corners of her mouth turned up in a peculiar smile. She hugged the box closer to her chest. She looked like a stretching cat. She skipped blissfully into the building.  
>About two weeks after Edward saw this girl; his mother entered their dining room excitedly.<br>"Do you know who I just ran into outside?" She tapped on the tabletop happily as she awaited Edward Sr.'s response. He folded the top of the newspaper down and stared at her quizzically over the paper. "Mrs. Vivas!" She clapped her hands together and giggled.  
>"Who?" Edward asked. Elizabeth sat down at the table and knit her fingers together.<br>"The new neighbors. Upstairs? They moved in a few weeks ago?" She reminded them. Edward nodded, she continued.  
>"Well, she invited us over for dinner."<p>

...

Hours later, the trio walked up the stairs to the neighbor's door. They were dressed carefully so. Smart but still casual. They wanted to make a good impression and such hobnobbing involved well combed hair, polished shoes and a home-baked apple-cinnamon pie courtesy of Elizabeth. It was still a little warm. She knocked twice, announcing their arrival. Mrs. Vivas opened the door.  
>"Hello!" She bellowed and embraced Elizabeth in a warm hug. Her voice hinted at a faded Italian accent. The door opened wider and Mr. Vivas stood waiting near the table.<br>"Hey neighbors." He said happily walking towards them. His accent was still present, but not as overpowering as any of them expected. His smile was glistening, never before had the Masens encountered such a warm welcome in all their years of living in Chicago (or anywhere, really).  
>They clicked instantly. They talked about the neighborhood and exchanged friendly gossip. About an hour into the evening, Cara set down her water glass and took Edward's hand.<br>"Come with me." she whispered. He obliged. They scurried down the hall, just barely making a sound. When they got to the end of the hallway, she put a finger to her lips and he nodded. She opened her door cautiously, almost as if she was trying not to wake someone. She crossed the dark room with confidence and struck a match that lit a series of candles, illuminating the perfectly decorated room. She blew out the match and walked over to her closet. She reached for a box on a higher shelf. Since he stood about three inches taller than she, he thought to offer his assistance but by the time he did so, she had gone on her tippy toes and retrieved it on her own. She waved him over to the box as she opened it slowly, taking out the small pencil.  
>"This pencil has magic," she whispered to him and then sat on the floor, "no matter where I go or how flat the floor may be..." she placed the pencil on the floor and then let it go."It always wants to go somewhere else." They both watched in awe as the pencil clumsily rolled to the left, away from the two of them. The sound of the heavier edges tapping the floor echoed in Edward's ears. It pierced the silence of the half-lit room which made it seem to be louder than a passing locomotive.<br>"Astonishing" Edward whispered after he tried to keep it still a few times. She smiled and nodded then turned serious.  
>"But you cannot tell anyone about the magic pencil, ok?" She said uncertainly. He smiled at her and said softly "your secret is safe with me."<p>

_We were best friends ever since._


	3. The Necklace

_I read the passage a few times and watched the pencil roll along the floor a few times as well. Never in my life have I experienced such a delightful feeling so quickly. I kept reading on in sheer delight. It was like reading a children's book. I was positively elated. However, the reading became gloomier as I came across an entry referencing one of our most intimate conversations._

**2 December, 1909**

**It seemed it would be a normal day today, but it turned out to be a very emotional one, for Cara at least. I feel awful. But not so much because of what she told me, but because I'm a little happy it happened. Does this make me a terrible person? You may not remember but today she told you about her sister. She died a year ago today. That's why Cara moved here. Am I a bad person to be happy about it since I have her as my friend now? That's how it seems. I am sorry that it happened as it did and about how much their family went through but I'm more happy that they are here now. I hope that is not as bad as I believe it is.**

_I walked over to the Dubliners book once more, taking it with me when I went back to the couch and opened it again. I could picture the necklace before I even saw it. She never told me who made it for her but I know it was her idea to do it. Please understand this: in all of my years I have experienced and caused a significant amount of pain to myself and others. However, to this day, I cannot possibly fathom how much pain Cara could have gone through the day her sister died. I considered this as I slowly lifted the necklace from the inside of the book. The whole conversation started because I noticed the necklace and decided to ask about it. It was a thin, diamond piece of blown glass that was strung on a thin grey ribbon. The glass maintained a tiny volume in order to keep a small memento. The space was occupied by a miniature swatch of half-charred fabric that was secretly torn off of the dress of her sister, Sara's corpse_.

Sarafina Vivas was known in her family only as Sara. She was a stern, tough girl. From a very young age, she was extraordinarily serious. She never laughed without cause or smiled too much. She had a realistic view of the world around her before she even understood it. It was for this reason that she chose to marry so young. At fifteen and a half she was married to a nice, honest, southern factory worker who maintained a charming two bedroom about a mile from the Vivas household in New York City. However, what no one knew about this building was how mistreated and worn the heating systems were. The landlord never kept up with it and just let it go.  
>"It is a year today. I cannot believe it has been an entire year. It seemed so long ago." Cara crossed the room and lit a small red candle, placing her sisters picture behind it. She looked almost exactly like Cara, but her face lacked the lightheartedness that seemed to be ever-present in Cara's. I remember my father's reaction the most..." Cara mused sadly as she untied her necklace and placed it in Edward's hand. "My father was so upset for so many reasons. But the biggest reason was that he had nobody to be mad at... It was an accident."<br>He stored oil in the lower basement, next to the furnace. He was down there looking for his keys when it happened.  
>"She loved our old apartment. She loved it to pieces" a tear slowly rolled down her cheek. Her expression was so serious and far away that the tear seemed misplaced. "We couldn't stay there after what happened." She looked up at Edward with a little smile, "That's why we're here now..."<br>Sara was making lunch. Her husband sat at the kitchen table looking out at the little kids playing outside.  
>"Everybody said it happened so fast."<br>The landlord lit a cigarette and threw the match on the ground. Sara wiped her flour-coated hands on her apron. Her husband turned to her, watching her lovingly.  
>"Just one second there..."<br>A kid outside clapped his hands, Sara's husband said softly _I love you_ a spark of the furnace stunned the landlord, sending his cigarette on a puddle of spilled car fuel.  
>"Then gone." Edward looked at the glass. The fabric that was not burned was white with tiny blue roses. It was so typical.<br>"But then... how..." Edward couldn't form the question but she knew how to answer.  
>"The police... the police were at our door. We heard the sirens and commotion but we didn't know it was her."<br>A slow knock came from the front door of their apartment. Mrs. Vivas opened the door to a young, fidgety cop who removed his cap before he even knocked.  
>In a few minutes the three of them ran to Sara's home. Surrounding the curb was a sea of rubberneckers who shamelessly got in the way of firemen, ambulance and police personnel. They were shouted at to move but the opportunity to experience the thrill and excitement of witnessing a possibly fatal accident was too good to miss. Mr. Vivas pushed people away; he was the image of panic. Mrs. Vivas held Cara close to her waist; she felt the need to hold onto whoever she had left of her family. They slowly made their way through the crowd.<br>"My father was on his knees when I saw him. He held Sara tight as he wailed and wailed."  
>Sara's face was smeared with soot in random small places. Some of her hair was burned off as was some of her dress. Mrs. Vivas held her husband as Cara tore off a piece of fabric from her sister's dress. She stuffed it into her pocket before taking a really good look at her. Her face was emotionless. She was still and without and breath. Her eyes were closed. Close by was her husband: a completely unrecognizable figure. When he heard the boom he jumped in front of her. He suffered the flames but she still suffocated.<br>"We must have stood on that street for hours. People cane and went, the fire in the building was slowly extinguished, and the day went on. But we were all so broken." Her face was serious and unmoving. She was back in the moment. No one thought to protect the smallest child. No one thought to leave her home.  
>"I'm sorry." Edward said slowly. He opened his hand, realizing how hard he had been squeezing the glass. A streak of red blood ran down his hand. He looked at it with a confused face and slowly looked up at Cara. Her eyes watered as one tear struggled down her cheek. "But can't you..." He looked at his hand again to confirm. When he looked up, Cara had unbuttoned the first two buttons of her dress showing a multitude of tiny scars on her chest. They seemed so harmless, as if from a kitten, but they must have hurt her.<p>

"I cannot forget her... and I never will."

...

I wanted to add an author's note but it would've spoiled the chapter if it was at the beginning so here goes: I chose the name Sarafina very intentionally. The name it comes from, Serafina, is an Italian/Spanish name meaning "the burning one" and since the Vivas are Spanish/Italian it fits so well. and also that it could be shortened to Sara which I wanted for Cara's sister to begin with (for obvious reasons). This chapter is mostly a filler but it's also kind of important because this is not some Romeo and Juliet thing where they fell in love the second they met when they were 8 years old. One: that's weird and gross and second, this is one of, if not the most, important relationship of his life. I don't want it to be a love at first sight romance. They both spilled their guts to each other in some way so that when they got older and more attracted to each other, they were extraordinarily close. I do this because I believe strongly that real romances spark from friendships. Anyway, before I start preaching, the "I love you" in the flashback is _italicized._ That wasn't Edward saying that, I just didn't want to add quotes because they're bulky and I had to distinguish between what Cara was saying and what happened in the few moments before Sara died from the POV of someone who knows everything in the story (me). Also I didn't give her husband a name. It wasn't really intentional I just didn't... If you're one of those people where that's not acceptable (I've met those people) then I always picture him as a Jack. I wasn't sure if I mentioned in the last chapter that the Vivas are from New York. Just in case, I put it there now. It will be important much, much, MUCH later. Anyway, I like Wednesdays so far for weekly updates. I have this terrible habit of working on farther away chapters though. I'm writing this (or trying to) in the same order that you read it. It's much more difficult than it sounds. But thank you for reading, please comment, follow, like, all of the above :D I really hope you guys like this. It's a nice story and even if you don't like Twilight, a lot of this can be the back story for anyone. It's really just the ending chapters that will get Twilight related. Thank you again, updates coming (hopefully) next Wednesday!


	4. The Violin

_The next three books nearly flew by. Every memory became clearer and clearer with each word. It was astounding how happy I was with her. It was to a point where I couldn't remember a time of happiness before Cara. She was my one true happiness. My best friend. I came to one entry towards the middle of the book. It was only a short sentence but it described a life-changing moment of my life._

**17 August 1912,**

**I think I'm in love with her.**

_The ink was dark at the period. I must've kept my pen there for a while before understanding the reality of my statement. I turned to the book and pulled out a thick violin string. It was tied into a neat coil with a piece of old twine. I untied the twine and smoothed the string on a pillow. I turned it a few times until I smelled something odd. I looked closely and found some dried blood stuck on the end of the string. I was at a loss for a few moments. I couldn't remember this night. I studied the blood then looked at the other end. It was old and broken, the fibers would have been simply too weak to hold the string to the instrument. After a little thought, it came back to me._

Since she was about six, Cara wanted to play the violin. She loved the sound of it and the emotion that it tended to bring out of people. But since the Vivas moved away from New York, it was tougher to meet with her violin teacher, Miss Mary Anne Harper. She was an eccentric woman who wore glasses too big for her face and spoke in a screechy bird-like voice. But she knew the violin and she knew Cara was special. They met every other weekend at a mid-way point between Chicago and New York at a music lounge called 'Ohio Sound'. At night, it was a lounge catering to the music appreciators and enthusiasts of Ohio, but in the mornings and afternoons, it was Cara's musical haven. Ms. Harper knew the owner. He was a tall, slender man called Terry who was originally from Detroit. Cara believed Ms. Harper caught his eye which would explain the reason why he always stopped by to offer a compliment or a cold drink. Mrs. Vivas sat in the back of the room quietly gleaming with pride during their long rehearsals. Ms. Harper put everything she had into those rehearsals and Cara soaked everything in. One rehearsal day, Ms. Harper came in happier than usual.

"That's right, there is a music school in Chicago, its all-girls and the Head Mistress wants to see you perform in the 'Music in the Court' concert they hold in their courtyard on the 17th!"

"That's phenomenal, Ms. Harper, but will she be ready?" Ms. Harper made a fart sound with her mouth.

"Allegra!" another fart sound, "Ally!" She sounded insulted, "You and I both know that Cara was born ready! She could out play everyone there with a hand tied to her side and an apple in her mouth!" Cara looked back and forth as the other responded. She was at a loss for words so stayed silent. All she wanted was to finish the lesson and get home to tell Edward.

"And-"

"Wait! I haven't told you the best part! If-" fart sound, "When they fall in love with her, she'll be asked to study with them as a Student of Honour, so she'll stay there for free!" Ms. Harper clapped her hands together with glee.

"For how long?" Mrs. Vivas narrowed her eyes slightly.

"Only about two weeks unfortunately. I couldn't get any more because she's so young. But still, it is an amazing opportunity that some can only dream of." Mrs. Vivas looked at Cara who had been so excited she nearly forgot to breathe.

"Then I suppose you ought to practice." Mrs. Vivas cooed as she handed Cara's violin to her.

...

"Oh, you'll come won't you?" Cara pleaded the night before the concert. "Say you will." Cara fanned herself with her sheet music as she stretched out on Edward's bed. Since both their fathers worked late that night, both their mothers decided to go dress shopping. They were given specific instructions to watch each other and not to burn the building to the ground.

"I will, Cara. I told you I would." Edward said happily as he rearranged the books on his bookshelf. Cara looked up at him and studied the order.

"Year of publication?"

"Close, year read." Cara sucked her teeth and stared at the ceiling. I know, I know, I just want to make sure you won't forget. This has been a dream of mine for half my life Eddie!" She folded the corners of her sheet music, suddenly looking solemn. Edward looked back at her.

"What troubles you?"

"Nothing..."

"Liar." He smiled playfully and turned to face her.

"Well..." she sat up on the bed, looking down at the floor, "what if they do not care for me...?" She sighed and smoothed out the sheet music. When she looked up, Edward was kneeling in front of her.

"If they know anything... anything at all... they will know that you're amazing." Edward smiled and took the sheet music from her hands and studied it. He looked puzzled after a moment. "What song is this?" He looked through the sheets, "It has no name."

"I wrote it... I wrote it for them." She nervously bit her lip and played with her nails, "Should I perform something else? I know most of the Concertos by heart, I can-"

"No..." Edward looked up from the sheet, "this is perfect." It was the first time Edward ever used the word 'perfect' to describe anything of Cara's, and never again would he think any other word would be sufficient.

...

The courtyard was full of Chicago's elite. Woman and men dressed in their finest attire, eating tiny bits of food that probably cost the same as a new car. Edward Sr. and Elizabeth sat next to each other in the second row, holding hands tight. Neither of them cared very much for classical music but both considered the concert to be a date, even though Edward sat in front of them in the first row. Edward combed his hair back and wore a white shirt without any dirt or stain present on it. Before long, a middle-aged woman with tall hair walked onto the small stage they built on the grounds.

"Hellloooo... and welcome to the annual 'Music in the Court' concert celebration. I am the Head Miss-tress of this fine establishment, Miss-tress Giuliana Henrietta Antoinette Jacqueline Maria Françoise-DeForte but to-night... my young pu-pills... I will be your host. To-night... we honour our graduates, alumni and incoming students. Please applaud, if you will, for all our guests here to-night." She touched her fingers together repeatedly, barely making any sound. The others in the audience did the same, creating a hushed applause. "Yes... settle, settle..." it ceased, "love-lay... now. Our first pre-former graduated..." Edward tuned out quickly. He knew that Cara would be the very last one since the addition was made so last minute.

Edward looked around at the crowd after about fifteen minutes of music that he didn't pay attention to. He noticed that many of the audience members watched with pursed lips and squinted eyes. He looked towards the back to see Mrs. Vivas sitting at the edge of her seat next to a sleeping Mr. Vivas. He looked around towards the stage. He thought he saw the back of Cara's head but he wasn't sure. Cara looked everywhere for her peculiar teacher but found no sign of her. Finally, a figure that seemed to match hers was hovered over a corner of the backstage area.

"Ms. Harper?" Cara whispered as loud as possible. Ms. Harper looked up from the snack table. "Ms. Harper, where were you?"

"Oh, my dearest, I've been here of course!" She stuffed a handful of items into her small purse.

"Ms. Harper, it's not polite to take so much food if you won't eat it yet."

"Oh, don't be absurd, darling, I'm simply taking some toothpicks!" She opened her hand, revealing a small heap of rounded toothpicks. "The food is well below my personal standards but these toothpicks are brilliant! So luxurious! And there's so many!" She plucked them off the hors d'oeuvres one by one and shoved them into her pockets, "you never know!" She let out a strange giggle. Cara shook her head, changing the subject to the more important matter.

"Well, Ms. Harper, have you seen my violin?"

"Your what, dear?"

"My violin, Ms. Harper"

"Oh..." she made a perfect lower case 'o' with her lips.

"You told me to leave it with you so you can polish it..."

"Oh! Dearie dovey do, yes yes yes yes, I do believe it is... under my bag... backstage, best to scurry, loves, you're almost up."

Cara said a quick 'thank you' and hurried along, finding Ms. Harper's tinsel-covered music bag with ease. She lifted it to find a beaten up violin case. She opened it quickly to find...

"This is not my violin..." Cara plucked at the string and cut her finger slightly, "ow..." she sucked in a breath, immediately putting her finger in her mouth, sucking out the blood to make it stop. The strings were sharp and too tight. She looked around for her case but couldn't find it. "Damn..." she knew immediately that Ms. Harper took the wrong one but had no time to do anything about it. She had to work with this one. She tested the violin, it was properly tuned already, no need to tune it at all. She held the violin tight and made herself ready to walk to the stage. A hushed clapping gave her a signal to begin making her way to the stage. This was her dream coming true.

"Pretty girls first." The previous performer, a snooty red haired girl, scoffed as she walked down the stairs of the stage, pushing Cara's shoulder back slightly. Cara took a step back but the strap of the girls shoe caught with the hem of Cara's dress and within an instant, ripped off the last tier of her skirt, shortening it up to her mid-thigh. The two froze as the Head Mistress announced the piece Cara was meant to perform.

"And now, ladies and gentlemen," Edward sat up in his chair but then felt something in his shoe so bent over to get it out. Mrs. Vivas pushed her husband's shoulder which made him produce a loud snore before sitting up straight at attention. "Here is one of our pro-spective students who will pre-form a Concerto, I'm sure you aallll remember… Vieuxtemps' Concerto No. 5 in A minor… please applaud." Another muffled applause, but between the Masens, Vivas and Ms. Harper, it was much louder than the others. The six of them received annoyed glares from audience members.

The last streaks of sunlight stretched along the stage as Cara stepped onto it. She felt a warm breeze hit her knees, she enjoyed it. The audience simultaneously let out a small gasp and a few whispers were heard from the crowd. The Head Mistress raised her eyebrows and put a hand over her mouth. Cara noticed the reaction but it didn't matter to her, she accepted her misfortunes and refused to let them get the better of her. The sun inched lower in the sky as a few streetlights began to turn on. Edward looked up on the stage as the burnt orange light illuminated Cara's face and she began to play. Edward's breath caught in his throat.

The piece Cara wrote had the same beginning as the aforementioned piece; however a few more flourishes were added along with a slower waltz-style rhythm and a more romantic melody. Edward was enchanted and overwhelmed. His heart steadily pumped faster and faster. The shorter skirt drew the attention to her tiny waist and then to her elegant legs. Her hair was straight then spiraled into curls at the ends. He swayed to the sound like a charmed snake, not once taking his eyes off of her. He knew her for years; yet he was just seeing her for the first time. The piece came to an end and when the music stopped, Edward stood up quickly and clapped loudly. He was joined by his parents, Cara's parents and Ms. Harper, nobody else made a sound. Cara smiled sweetly at Edward and lowered her violin from her shoulder in preparation for a polite curtsy. As it descended towards the ground, her finger put a little too much pressure on the third string, snapping it off and lashing her side. Cara froze. The Head Mistress made her way onto the middle of the stage.

"Thank you… Goodnight." She said stiffly and pulled Cara by the arm off the stage. In a few moments, people resumed light, pompous conversations and the Head Mistress stood in front of Ms. Harper.

"Mary… Anne! How in God's great name could you allow this petulant child to stroll onto my stage of class and elegance looking like one of those mangy sall-ooon girls and positively ruining one of our greatest pre-formed masterpieces! How could you?" Cara was shoved over to Ms. Harper, holding onto her side, beginning to feel the pain. "And did you happen to no-tice that diss-gusting pile of wood that she calls a violin? This is a diss-grace!" Mr. and Mrs. Vivas walked over with Mr. and Mrs. Masen, Edward following behind them. "Mary-Anne, you have diss-graced me, you have diss-graced this institution, AND you have diss-graced your-self by bringing this horr-ible child to us!" Mr. and were taken aback with offense. Ms. Harper was fuming. Mr. and Mrs. Masen were horrified. Edward looked at Cara who was ominously quiet and still. A volcano moments away from eruption.

"Head. Mistress!" Cara nearly shouted, turning to her to give her a terrible glare, "If I am not at all mistaken, the only thing that has disgraced you tonight was the performances. Every single one was littered with missed chords and inappropriate pauses. Every piece was either ill-prepared for or entirely too simple for the reputation of this institution. In fact, I was the only one who had any sort of passion for the music. Now my dress is torn, and my violin is old, but I should not be the source of your shame tonight." Cara walked off, feeling the full pain of the lash, realizing that the string still stayed at her side. The Vivas and Masens followed her as Edward rushed to her and held her waist, letting her lean on him.

"I don't even want your stupid toothpicks anyway." Ms. Harper threw a handful of toothpicks at the Head Mistress' feet; she stumbled back in pure disgust as little bits of food splattered on the end of her cream-coloured dress.

"I will have your teaching license revoked!" she screamed after Ms. Harper as she turned to leave. "You will never be allowed to teach any-one... any-thing... ever!"

"What license?" Ms. Harper snorted, pushing up her large glasses and strutting away.

...

I kind of like this whole thing of doing the little blurb after the actual story... it's good just in case there's any sort of spoilers and stuff. But I think I may do it regular next time. This chapter was like the impossible chapter, last night around 1 in the morning, I decided to go half-way through the chapter and since I hand-write them before hand, I still had to type it on the phone and it just turned into a big mess. But it's good now and I really like how it turned out. It's longer which I really wanted, I thought the others were a bit too Wham, Bam, Thank you Ma'am, but this is good. It's a very important chapter since he falls in love and everything like that. Also you see a bit of Cara's backbone which is good. She's not a push-over, she's a very sweet girl but holds her own. If anyone has ever seen the series Firefly, I see Cara as a young Inara-Kaylee, very alluring and strong but sweet and happy-go-lucky. In fact, when I picture this whole thing, it reminds me of the party in the episode "Shin-dig". Especially with the whole mean girls aspect and nice guys (just Edward, I guess) swooping in to make her feel better. So ya... that's where that is... oh, if you notice, names are incredibly important to me. I finally found a good name for Cara's mother (Allegra) which in Italian directly translates to "happy" which I'm aiming for as her personality type... also she is Italian which is great. After I think of a name for Cara's father I'll drop the 'Mr. and Mrs.' all together because we don't need all those formalities. I chose The Mary Anne Harper name because I was inspired by the SNL skit with Neil Patrick Harris when he did the "Two-First-Names" talk show. It was so strange and awkward that I immediately thought of her. As for the pompous head mistress, I kept adding names and last names so when she said it all together she'd need another breath (hence the dots). The snooty girl who ripped Cara's dress I didn't give her a name since she was directly based on a girl I went to high school with who actually said that to one of my friends. So just in case she reads this, no names. Terry was used because it's a nice-guy type of name. I've never heard of anyone having problems with a "Terry" (if you have, don't tell me, I don't want to ruin the illusion). Anyway, keep reading and commenting, it really makes my day when I see the views going up and up and the followers and reviews, I'm just so happy that you guys are reading. But, stay tuned for next week, maybe possibly an appearance from our favorite doctor ever, Doctor Cullen? Hmm? yes? okay! I'm trying to add in characters that are actually in Stephanie Meyer's books but I haven't read in a while and I'm lazy. But I've done some crazy stuff for you guys already so you never know. But enough of my ramblings. Just thank you and keep reading, commenting and following, more to come later on!


	5. The Night

Another impossible chapter finished again. Correct me if I'm wrong but it's almost always the fillers that really slow down the writing process. But still, I'm pretty sure from here on in, there are not too many fillers because soon I'll be finishing some of the chapters that I started whilst procrastinating the fillers. So this is my promise to you, my dear readers: it's about to go down... (that's a Kevin Hart reference, please look him up if you don't know who he is) Anyway, I noticed that the lions share of my readers are American which is why I wait until midnight American time to post which is stupid but that's okay. Umm... as you will see, I gave Cara's father a name so no more Mr./ Mrs.! Yey! (I hated typing that) Desi, short for Desidero translates to longing which fits him since he longs for Cara's happiness and Allegra's attention and his late daughter. But slightly more than that, it is the name of the great 50's Cuban comedian, Desi Arnaz whose accent I always think of when writing about Cara's father. Anyway, this chapter begins from where the last one left off and does not have another entry. It only features a small cameo of Edward's narration. The next one I'm really going to change it up though. So stay tuned for more, I hope you enjoy this and please keep reading and commenting, thank you so much and goodnight my fellow insomniacs!

...

After a very silent car ride home, Cara was afraid to look at her hand. She had no idea exactly how deep the lash went but to Cara, it felt like it wrapped around her vertebrae. She also wasn't sure of how long it would be until someone else noticed. She went up to her room as quickly as possible, examining her wound in the mirror. There was a lot of blood around her dress so she took it off, putting on a shirt that she tied so it wouldn't touch the blood and a skirt that sat lower on her waist than her others did. The ensemble was more comfortable than before which she greatly appreciated. She took a small towel by her bedside and held it over the wound. The pain came in waves now: beginning very mild then avalanching into a crippling blow. She ran to the bathroom down the hall, making a large boom when it slammed behind her. Edward looked towards the hall when he heard the noise. He walked towards the bathroom and knocked on the door.

"Umm... yes...?" Cara said, sounding hurt,

"Cara, are you alright? I'm really sorry about the concert but-"

"Come in..." she said softy unlocking the door and letting it open a little. Edward walked in, immediately noticing the blood on her hands and the white cloth at her side that was now half red. Any normal child Edward's age might simply run out and call for help. But Edward didn't. The thought hadn't even crossed his mind until much later that night. But in the moment, Edward simply took off his evening jacket, placed it over the bathtub, and rolled his sleeves up his arms. He sat next to Cara on the floor and studied the injury.

_I fixed her. Well, I did what I could with the knowledge that I had at the time but for the most part, I did fix her. I certainly cleaned the wound better than one may expect._

Edward lightly dabbed around the cut with a damp cloth, getting all the excess blood from her side off.

"Eddie, do you know what I think?"

"What do you think?"

"I think that school won't accept my application." She looked serious for a moment then they both laughed. "I'm so..." she laughed a little more than relaxed, "I'm so glad you were there for it... that was exactly how I imagined the song would sound." She smiled.

"You mean you didn't practice it?" Edward said amazed.

"No... I didn't... I wanted to hear it with everyone else. Like a surprise." She looked down at the string, "I think the real surprise was that violin." She laughed, "I've never seen a more beaten up violin before." Edward smiled a little and delicately cleaned a little closer to the cut.

"I never saw it." He said softly. Cara smiled and blushed softly, "you looked beautiful... you know that, right?" He looked up at her for a moment and smiled before getting back to the cut. She opened her mouth to speak but was bombarded with a sharp pain.

"Ow!" She said trying to keep her voice down. Edward bit his lip hard.

"My apologies... are you alright?"

"Yes..." Cara sucked in a breath, "yes, yes, it's fine."

Edward examined the wound and shook his head a little, "I am so sorry but I have to take it out to clean it properly..." he looked around and grabbed another clean towel. "Here, bite this..." he handed it to Cara who looked nervous and slightly pain-stricken. She took the outstretched towel.

"I trust you..." she said softly and bit the end of the towel as hard as she could.

Edward sucked in a breath and very slowly and carefully pulled the string from her side. He quickly realized its sharpness so held it with the cleaning towel. He looked up at her mid-way to see her eyes starting to water. He bit down hard and pulled it out swiftly. Cara let out a loud gasp-whimper hybrid that caught the attention of Elizabeth.

"Are you okay?" Edward asked concerned. Cara nodded as a tear slowly rolled down her cheek. Edward looked down at his hands, his fingertips stained with Cara's blood. "Well, the string is out." Cara sighed relieved and looked at Edward.

"Thank you." Cara purred and smiled a little. In a moment, Elizabeth opened the door to the bathroom.

"Cara, are you okay, I heard-" she screamed as loud as she could upon seeing the bloody rags and open wound.

...

The local hospital was a seldom visited building walking distance from their home. Based on where they lived in the city, one may believe that the hospital would be ever-crowded. Yet, generally, people who were ill or suffering frequented the hospital about ten minutes away because of their more up-to-date equipment and younger staff. However, for their purposes, the Masens always went to the same hospital and for that matter, saw the same doctor. He was a tall man with fair skin and golden eyes. His hair was a pale blonde and his smile was warm and comforting. His name was Doctor Carlisle Cullen and he was just as much a part of the Masen family as Edward was.

"Well, Edward, I admire your expertise." Dr. Cullen said while walking through the doors holding a few papers.

"What do you mean?" Edward said confused. He sat across from Cara in a small, uncomfortable chair while both their parents waited outside the room, per Cara's request.

"Well, you cleaned the cut spotless." Dr. Cullen pat Edward on the back lightly and walked towards Cara, "You have done my job for me." He turned to Cara, "All I need to do is add a couple sutures and you are free to go. "I'll go tell your parents so they don't worry." He smiled and left the room.

"Well look at that," Cara smiled, "you could be the future 'Doctor Masen'" she giggled, Edward rolled his eyes, "what?"

"I want to be a solider." He said proudly.

"Really?" There was a pause, "but... why?" He sighed and thought for a moment, scratching the back his head.

"I have always wanted to protect people. I never thought of anything else... I love..." he stopped himself for a moment; her face was so doleful, "this... country..." Cara looked at the floor before taking in a deep breath.

"But... you could die..." she looked up at him; the pain in her eyes seemed to pierce his very soul. He opened his mouth to speak as the door opened and Carlisle strolled in once again. The two of them jumped at the sudden sound and looked up.

"Okay then, ready?" He asked cheerfully. Carlisle liked his job, you saw that whenever he spoke and in everything he does in his field. Edward got up from his chair and waved lightly, signaling his departure.

"Wait." Cara looked from Carlisle to Edward, "umm... can Edward stay here?" Her nose twitched slightly, "I never got sutures before..." Carlisle shrugged; the request itself seemed normal but held a heavier weight than usual.

"Sure," Carlisle said lightly. He turned his back to thread the needle; Edward made his way back to the chair and moved closer to Cara's bed, "you get to learn about some of the procedure Edward." Carlisle turned to grin a little at Edward and promptly turned back to the needle. Cara looked at Edward as she took a hold of his hand and gave him that same cat-like smile that he saw so many years before. The only difference was that now, it seemed to be the most adorable face he had ever seen someone make. She stroked his thumb twice before Carlisle turned around. She weakly squeezed his hand and relaxed in her cot. Edward's heart beat so loud and fast, he could have sworn that she heard it.

"So what happened?" Carlisle enquired a few stitches later. Cara smiled, already finding the whole event funny.

"I was playing for these awful people and a string from the violin broke off into my side," she smiled at Edward, "but Edward was able to take it out."

"You play violin?"

"Sure do."

"And she's amazing." Edward chimed in.

"But you're so young." Carlisle said impressed.

"Youngest in my class." Cara said holding her chin up a little higher.

"Really? How many in the class?"

"Oh, just me. I take private lessons." Carlisle grinned as he pulled the thread tight and knotted it.

"Well," he cut the thread and sat back in his chair, "if you are ever available, we always welcome people to come in every so often and spend time with the more permanent patients who don't often get visitors. It would be wonderful if you could play for them." Cara smiled wide.

"I would love to." She smiled and examined the sutures. "Thank you Doctor Cullen."

"Anytime." Carlisle took off his gloves, "and feel free to come back at anytime you want. I'm here most of the time. Just try to keep the strings on the violin." He laughed quietly at his own joke and left the room.

...

Later on Edward and Cara sat side by side in a place where they considered to be their own. On the rooftop of the building, there was a small area of planted grass which was placed and forgotten on that rooftop since before the Masens got there. It still stayed green despite the fact that no one watered it. However, it was nice to see so anyone who ever noticed it never thought to remove it. In front of the grass was a long park bench, another item that seemed to have no place on a townhouse rooftop. But this was their place. It was quiet and beautiful at night. They sometimes stood next to the edge of the roof to watch the people walk by but often just sat at the bench.

"What a strange day." Edward mused, watching the figures move around on the streets.

"Yes, from music to... mayhem," she giggled, "That shall be the title of this strange day. She did not join him for people-watching but stayed near the grass, writing something in the gravel with a rock. From the downstairs kitchen, Cara's mother spoke loudly to her husband.

"I think tomorrow I will make something American for dinner."

"Why American? There is no... ughh... Como se dice sabor?"

"Flavor, Desi."

"Ahh, jes, flavor. No flavor, my love."

"But we live in America! We should eat American."

"I don't think people are caring about what we eat, honey."

"You know," Edward said walking towards Cara, "I am a little bit glad that they did not like you." He sat down next to Cara and looked at her as she concentrated on her rock etching, "I would be awfully bored if I had to listen to your parents' strange and possibly coded conversations on my own." In the background, the Vivas continued on about food.

"Me too." Cara said blowing dust off the ground and tossing the rock to the side, "I'd miss you a lot." He looked down at the floor. Scratched into the ground was a plain heart, no writing around it or messages within, just a simple heart. Cara studied it like an expensive painting at a museum; "I think I'll add more to it later." She looked at him with a smile. "I'm so happy you could be there today, Eddie." He smiled at her. A smile that lit up his entire face.

"I wouldn't have missed it." He chuckled and began to imitate the Head Mistress, "Aannnddd, I thank youu for playing, although I did purssee my liips when your dress was ripped because I am a stiff woman with a million namess!" Cara laughed hard.

"Yes! You noticed!"

"Who didn't notice? I never thought someone could take an hour to introduce yourself!"

"Heelloooo!" Cara said in an over-the-top, posh voice. "I am your Head Miss-Tress!"

"Yeeesss, I am Mary, Eliza, Beth, Jennifer, Roxanne, Linda, Marie, Kathy, you name it, I have that name!" Edward said and then laughed so hard he nearly snorted. Cara laughed for a while and sighed.

"I'm so happy to be away from them." She looked at Edward and took his hand again. "Which means," she moved closer to him and lifted his arm. She put it over her shoulders, leaning her head against him, "we still have our rooftop for a while longer." She smiled and relaxed in his arms. The stars were bright and beautiful above them, the air was fresh around them, everything was flawless in their small slice of perfection on their rooftop.


	6. The Confidant

Hello my most dearest readers. I trust that people have been liking what they have been reading and have shared your enthusiasm with friends, coworkers, enemies, and random passers-by on the streets of your hometown like some breed of psychotic beggar. But besides all that, I hope you enjoy this chapter since it is exceptionally different in comparison to the others, and, more importantly, exclusive to this chapter only! So please note that the next chapter will follow along as usual but this is different. Alright, so, in the_ italics_ is now Jasper's narration. The normal font is still my narration and the** bold** is simply an inscription, which is also pretty normal but slightly different. I always imagined Jasper as the calmer one of everybody since he is burdened with everyone else's emotions because life usually works like that. If you are one of those people who worship Alice and Don't want her put in a bad light then forgive me. I like her too but I imagine planning a wedding will cause a personality shift in anyone, not excluding Alice. So there's that. I also wanted to point out that I am actually doing this quite early since I was very inspired this week. See, I have the basic scenes written out and a list of the chapter titles but if I want to add something then I have to add a new chapter and its a huge mess but this time (since it was an added chapter) it goes in seamlessly because although Jasper's part is not important now, it will be much much much later on in the story. This chapter is mostly flashback and I say that because we have to remember that Carlisle is out with Esme and Bella at this point so when you see him talking, it's not a present moment. Just making sure that's clear. Right? Okay. Please comment, follow, favorite, do whatever you like as long as you enjoy the reading, it really is quite brilliant when it all comes together.

_Since I am hypersensitive to the emotions of others, I find it to be in my best interest when I can find time to myself and take a walk in the woods. Generally there is no family present, nor are many humans present so there is no struggle of temptation. I enjoy these walks greatly. It is an opportunity to clear my head and provide myself relaxation. Today's walk seemed to be exceptionally soothing which was helpful considering what I was about to face once I walked through the door._

_Before I even turned the key, I felt an overwhelming sense of happiness and nervous-joy generally associated with a crush. I grinned a little as I made my way to Alice's and my bedroom. I was certain I was picking this up from Carlisle and Esme since I usually do. But I stopped mid-step when realized a strange truth. They were gone. Gone with Bella to feed her and possibly cease this guilt-fueled fast that she imposed upon herself. Once I realized this, I explored the possibilities by walking past the bedrooms and the very first one gave me my answer._

_I glanced into Edward's room to find him lying down on his couch, ankles crossed, his nose buried deep into the pages of a medium-sized black leather book. Next to him was a stack of identical ones. I recognized them immediately and slowly stepped away from the door._

Jasper opened the door of the attic and cleared a stray spider web before walking in. The room itself was dusty and grey, as all attics are, but this one was more valuable than most. Every single one of them (apart from Bella and Nessie, of course) has been in the habit of collecting various items throughout their immortal lives. Items that for many would be profitable on the market, but no one has felt the need to part with any of it. Jasper passed by an old standing drawer case full of Carlisle's old surgical instruments from the late 1800's and early 1900's. Alice kept a closet of modern clothes in their bedroom, however in the attic, she also collected an armload of her favorite dresses from her human years. Jasper had to stop for a second to admire his own collection of Civil War rifles that were left by the fallen Union soldiers he used to feast upon after he was changed. The attic was an oasis of antiques and probably the smallest, most modest and forgotten collection was Edward's. Jasper moved a few boxes out of the way and pulled out, from under an old Victorian table, a small, loosely closed box. Jasper opened the box slightly and felt around for the shape and weight of the item he wanted to see. When he found it, he pulled it out and stood up, holding it up to the light. He closely studied the picture, noticing the happiness present in the youthfully human face of a young fourteen-year old Edward. He held the waist of a girl about his age who smiled at him in the picture. He took the picture out of the frame and turned it to read the back.

**Edward, Cara, 31 October 1915**

He replaced the picture and put it back inside the box, pushing it back under the table. He learned about Cara just about a week before Bella and Edward's wedding.

Since Alice was given the job to plan the wedding, Bella basically gave her a free pass to control every minute of every second of the lives of her housemates until the newlywed couple said their final 'goodbyes' before heading off to their honeymoon. Although Jasper was not too fond of Alice's sudden change from cute wife to Russian dictator, he still would do anything for her, including:

"Jas, I want you to go to the attic and get Bella something old of ours."

"But how will I know what to-"

"JUST DO IT!" Alice stormed off in a stress-induced rage. It's a shame they never sleep.

Jasper sluggishly made his way into the attic and looked through boxes of junk until he came across one that was relatively concealed and very dusty. Upon looking through it he found many small, seemingly worthless items, but could serve the purpose well enough. He found a few hair pins that were embellished with a pearl on the end, he found a pair of white gloves in pristine condition, a few old scarves that were half-knit, a ribbon from a hat and some very old books. He began to lose interest when a down-facing picture frame caught his eye. He picked it up, surprised by the weight, he realized the frame was real silver. He turned it to see the picture, at the same time, Carlisle walked in.

"Hello, Jasper." he walked by carrying some boxes, "I didn't know you were here."

"I didn't know Alice recruited you to help me."

"Oh, no, she probably didn't, I just wanted to come up here to..." he looked around as he considered different euphemisms, "give Alice some room."

"Ahh." Jasper nodded, understandingly and turned to Carlisle, "What do you think of this for something old?" Jasper gave the picture to Carlisle and turned to close the box. "It isn't that old but I think it's a nice picture of Bella and Edward." he struggled putting on the cover of the box without breaking it so simply draped a sheet over it to keep dust out, "I suppose we could put it on the food table or copy the picture onto the invitations or something." Jasper turned to Carlisle, "What do you... what?" Jasper noticed his worried aura and expression.

"Where did you get this?" he asked ominously. Jasper pointed to the box and Carlisle immediately went to it, looking through it hastily. "I thought he got rid of this..." Carlisle sighed and looked at jasper who looked concerned now.

"Carlisle, what's wrong?" Jasper asked, putting a hand on his shoulder. Carlisle sighed and turned to Jasper.

"Son... have you ever done something that you knew was wrong, but you were only trying to help... but it only made the problem worse?" Carlisle looked down at the picture, hurt in his eyes.

"What are you talking about?"

"Jasper, this girl is not Bella."

"What do you mean it's not Bella?" Jasper asked suspiciously. Carlisle took out the picture from the frame and turned it over for him to read.

"Jasper... this is not Bella." Carlisle said gravely as Jasper looked from Carlisle's face to the date and names on the back. Jasper took the photo and studied it closely. The people behind them dressed in period clothing as did they. The picture was taken in an apartment-style room filled with people who were all unfamiliar. Carlisle removed the dust cover from two chairs and offered one seat to Jasper as he sat in one.

"But then..." Jasper looked at the name on the photo, "who is Cara?"

"If I tell you about her, Jasper, you must swear to never mention her name again... I have not said it in decades... the memory is much too painful for your brother to bear." Jasper nodded and sat down on the chair beside Carlisle.

_I can't help but cringe now seeing that box. It holds a few salvaged remnants of a life that should've been forgotten. But as much as I felt awful about what they went through, I feel worse for him now. He hides this box and those journals from others hoping no one ever mentions her again. As much happiness as Bella has given him, it will always be outweighed by the memory of Cara. Carlisle was right those years ago: it should've been burned with everything else they kept of hers. As I walked out of the attic and back towards the bedrooms I looked back into Edward's room, the emotions haunting me as I drew nearer. He barely moved. I can't help but think that this reminiscence of his will lead to something problematic. I hope it doesn't. For everyone's sake._


	7. The Quill

I'm very happy that I've been getting these out earlier, it makes me happy as a writer and I hope as well that it pleases you as readers. I know that I always look forward to new installments in fanfics but they're usually not very regular. This story is a lot of fun to do and I'm so glad that others like it as well. I implore the readers, however, to comment. I really want to improve the story and I know how it ends, but I'd really love to have some feedback on how it is for you all, if you like it and even if you don't. I cater to my readers and want nothing else but your satisfaction with my story... well, I'd also like a television that gives you food but okay. I think I will start a poll later tonight and I'll keep it up until the Tuesday after this coming one so 13 days, I suppose? Yes. See, there's a character coming in soon but I can't decide on his last name. So I give it to you. Oh, a little disclaimer, in the chapter, there are two songs mentioned: one is a song called El Capotín which is a Puerto Rican folk song from my Spanish friends. Even though the Vivas are Cuban, I feel that people in the coffee world would know it. Also the song Edward plays which I feel would be closest to Chopin's Etude Opus 25 with some minor changes, of course. Also the Pilon brand of coffee is mentioned along with the founder (I believe), I own nothing of any of these brands or songs. His line in the story (without me trying to write out a thick Cuban accent) is: "This next one is for Cara, I know she used to like this song." And the rest is just elongated to show that people are singing. For those who don't know, Pilon is a Cuban coffee which will keep you bouncing on the walls for nine hours. Again, I know it via my Spanish friends who swear by it. It's too strong for me. Anyway, that's basically it. Please comment, that's all I ask. And watch for the poll as I need all the opinions I can. Thanks for reading!

...

**31 October, 1915**

**I will never forget how beautiful she was when I went to her room midnight just so I could be the first person she sees on her fifteenth birthday. I will never forget the look her face when I gave her the present she loved so much. But more than anything, I'll never forget her kiss. And now that I've experienced it, I know I'll always yearn for it.**

"I suppose a warm 'Happy Birthday' is in order." Edward said with a wide grin after a half asleep Cara joined him on the fire escape outside her room.

"Thank you," she giggled sleepily, "but it's really not so important." She stifled a yawn and held the sides of her dress to keep it from swaying in the wind.

"Oh, but it is." He held a soft, misshapen cookie in his hand with a single flickering candle in the middle of it which he shielded from the wind with his hand. "Make a wish." He said happily. He set it in her palm and the candle blew out. They both laughed.

"Or not," she smiled and pulled out the candle, "but what else could I possibly want other than spending a cold midnight with my best friend?" She took a bite from the cookie and raised her eyebrows. "Mm! Give my compliments to your mother. These are better than usual!" She hungrily took another bite.

"I would only it was not her this time." He grinned proudly as she kept chewing.

"You?"

"Why yes." He smiled and held her shoulders tenderly, "wait here." She made a full-mouthed sound and he disappeared in his room for a moment, appearing again with a white box wrapped with a single robin's egg blue ribbon.

"Wha-"

"Now, it is your birthday so your choice: there is this box for you, which I can give you anywhere... or, a second present, for which you must accompany me downstairs for. Which first? Or, perhaps both at the same time?" He smiled at her as she quickly weighed her options.

"Both!" She said elated.

"I was hoping you might say that."

In a few minutes, they stood in the heart of the storage room. The room itself was not closed off to tenants, but it was discouraged from using. The lock was broken so getting in quietly was nothing. They dodged half-broken crates and dusty old furniture until they got to the beautiful grand piano. The wood was a rich mahogany and shiny since the owner cleaned it regularly. It was the owner's most prized possession but never played it. Edward sat down at the stool and put the box in her hands. Quietly as he could, he began to rhythmically touch the ivories gently, trying to stay quiet.

"Open it," he prompted looking at her. She sat on a corner of the stool and looked down at the box. Secretly, she was trying to figure out which song he was playing.

"What is it?"

"Open it, I cannot tell you."

"No, this piece."

"Exactly. I will not say until you open it, and then both your presents will be revealed." She untied the ribbon, letting it fall gracefully to the floor. She opened the box to find

"It's a box..." she held it up disappointedly. The black box seemed to have no decorations, openings or even seams. It was much too light to hold anything else inside. Edward maintained his grin. He took one hand from the piano keys and pushed a small button on the side of the box. There was a 'click' sound as a compartment opened on the side of the box facing her. She looked inside and smiled, removing a black-feather quill. She examined it closely; it was a work of art. She turned it over and found a shortened peacock feather nestled in the center. She stroked the feather, it was soft and beautiful. She adored the beautiful bird as much as the birthday gift she was holding at the moment. She turned to him and he gave her a warm smile.

"And this song, I wrote for you. I haven't named it yet. But..." he resolved the melody with an enchanting flourish and slowed to a close as he turned to face her. "It's for you. Happy birthday." She looked from the quill to his face to the piano. Her throat was dry and her heart raced. How could she ever possibly express what was going through her mind at the moment? She threw her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. She kissed his cheek and coming out of the hug, kissed his lips softly.

"I love it." She said breathlessly, "I love it so much. Thank you Eddie, I couldn't have asked for anything better." She took his hand and squeezed it, her smile beamed with glee.

_I remember how I couldn't sleep that night. I didn't want to. I was afraid that it was a dream. I couldn't chance waking up from it. But it wasn't. It was our first kiss and I couldn't have asked for a better one. I remember that day so clearly. I even remember that party that her parents threw her that night._

_..._

The streets from their building to four blocks away were packed with shiny black cars from fender to bumper. Both sides of Cara's entire family were invited with only about a half of each actually attending. Edward was still stunned by the turnout.

"You should have seen Sara's wedding." She commented as they looked out on to the streets from their rooftop, "it seemed like all of New York came to that." She smiled and played with her hair. She was not yet dressed for the occasion, she still had time. But her mother took the liberty of doing her hair at 7 o'clock that morning in preparation for an 8 o'clock at night party. The logic made sense to only her mother, but it allowed Edward to admire a small portion of her beauty for a while. As people got out of their cars and into the building, she recognized some of them and identified them to Edward. Some names were Italian while others were Spanish. Either way, he was enchanted by the way she spoke. "See that really tall man?" She pointed to a man coming out of his car, rushing over to open the passenger door for a lovely woman around his age.

"Yes."

"That's Manuel Bacuaro. He's famous in Cuba for making coffee. Everybody in my father's family says that one day he will be the most powerful man in Cuba." They both watched him as he walked in. Desi took one look at him and hugged him tight. Allegra and Manuel's wife hugged tightly as well before going inside. The two men stayed outside to speak excitedly to each other.

_When one first met Cara and her family, one believed they were very average with average wealth. They lived in the upstairs portion of a townhouse in the nicer area of Chicago. They wore clothes that looked decent on them despite their simplicity and lack of embellishment. In Cara's case, a lot of her dresses were designed and made by her hand. They had one car and always kept it very presentable. But no matter how shiny the car or beautiful their small home was, no one ever considered that they were incredibly wealthy. But they were and it was due to that man, Manuel Bacuaro._

When Cara's father was very young, living in Cuba with his mother and eight siblings, he would walk from one side of the island to the other every week to buy coffee for his mother. When he complained about it to Mr. Bacuaro, it gave him an idea to increase profit and convince for customers. Since then, he gave Desi a percentage of every coffee sale, giving him enough money to move him and his family from the slums of Cuba to America. Even today, the Pilon coffee brand grows, meaning that the Vivas family fortune grows with it.

"I would just like to welcome everyone to our home tonight," There was a loud cheer, cutting off Allegra from continuing. She smiled and clapped happily as they began to settle down. "Our beautiful daughter is fifteen today, and as... at least half of you know," group laughter, "this is her coming of age." Another cheer. Allegra smiled and laughed, before shouting out "Happy birthday!" And giving up the heartfelt announcement she originally planned as she rejoined her husband by the table of food. Quietly, they toasted to Cara's health. Manuel Bacuaro sat at the piano and began to play a loud upbeat tune.

"Dis nec juan es for Caaara, I know she useda like dis song.." he smiled and kept playing. His wife sat next to him on the stool he looked at her and began to serenade her. "Iiiii giveeeee tooo jjuuuu... mmmyyy deeeaaarr loveelllyyy ladyy,"

"For your pleassuree, I bringg youu," she chimed in melodically.

"THIS CUP OF MY FIINEST BREW, CAFÉ!" Every Spanish person in the room chimed in.

The song was an old Spanish folk song, about coffee. Everyone around them danced and clinked cups together to the song. Edward even spied his parents attempting to sing along to this foreign song.

"You two are cute, can I take a picture?" A boy of about eleven years rushed over to them with a camera. Cara recognized him; it was a cousin of hers from her mother's side, although she wasn't sure if his name was Antonio or Giovanni.

"Oh...ok." Edward said nervously as he took his place at Cara's side. They stood still not touching, smiling awkwardly.

"No! That's not a picture guys! Relax! Think of something that makes you happy!" The boy said and looked through his camera.

_She looked up at me and grinned a little, getting closer and holding the back of my jacket. I never took my eyes off her. I held her waist tenderly, wanting her as close to me as possible. She smiled at me. I thought of how extraordinarily beautiful she looked that night as a flash blinded our peripheral vision. But we didn't mind, in fact, we didn't care about a lot of things when we were together._

"That was great guys." The boy took his camera from the stand, putting it on a small table under a seemingly old framed painting. The boy noticed the painting and studied it for a second. "I know this guy!" Cara and Edward snapped out of their trance and looked at the boy, not letting go of each other.

"What?" Cara asked.

"Rembrandt! He's that dead painter guy." The boy said as he squinted at a corner of the painting that had a signature on it.

"Oh..." Cara looked at and shrugged. "We got it from some second-hand shop back in New York." _She never cared for the picture of the old man with the strange hat but her father kept it as a conversational piece._ "You should get to your mother, kiddo," she pointed to the painting, "it's probably not real anyway."

_It's real._


	8. The Gala

I believe that first, I should say 'sorry', so, sorry! However, I do have a rather brilliant excuse for missing the usual Wednesday 'update deadline: I was on a flight. I am visiting some people in America and so when I finished the chapter we were about to land and here in America, it was about 5, so I thought I had time. However, after dinner I got jet-lagged and fell asleep until well into Thursday and I meant to post yesterday but I was lazy. So sorry. But, it's here now, the impossible chapter is done and dusted and ready for reading (alliteration, yey)! Anyway, besides all of that, a big thank you to mangochi who is a user here on fanfiction and has been my technical advisor since I first began. Absolutely brilliant person, really, mangochi showed me how to display polls so that people can vote because no one was voting and I thought to myself "WHY?" and it was because nobody saw them which is a rookie mistake but ya.. so, thanks to him, you can vote! And please do, Wednesday awaits us! Anyway, without further ado, the very late chapter is here, please enjoy!

...

_I looked at the clock as I put down the 1917 journal; it was only 4:15 in the afternoon on Saturday. I got up and paced my room a couple times as I rose my arms above my head and brought them down to scratch my head. I looked at the nine journals on the floor. Nine years I had been with Cara, nine absolutely perfect years. For about five of those years, I loved her much more than words could describe and I looked forward to reading about it. But the next journal was the one I dreaded most._

The book itself was less preserved than the rest. The spine was well worn and some pages were torn a little or completely torn off and placed back in the book hastily. But it was the content that he wanted so much to avoid. This book was the most frequently thumbed through and for that matter, the most often thrown across the room.

_As I sat back on the sofa, I considered just skipping the book all together, but for some reason, I didn't. I had to keep going, despite the pain and torture that I could possibly impose upon myself as I dive into the terrible memories of that year. I took the book and opened it in my lap. The leather was worn and dry, cracking a little at the touch. I read a few entries quickly, stopping at one to stare at the year. 1918. It sends chills down my spine, even now. If it were at all possible, I would give anything in the world to reverse the clocks. I would do anything to keep 1918 from happening. I sighed, again considering putting the books away and never thinking of them again but I chose to read on. I looked at the rest of the written date and nodded as I summoned a vague memory and kept reading._

**29 June, 1918**

**She is the most beautiful girl I may ever lay eyes upon in my life. She charms me every day and shows me something about her that draws me closer to her. She has not yet noticed her own beauty, allowing her to be free of conceit and vanity. She is humorous and when she smiles, I can feel my heart melt in my chest. When I'm with her, other men look at me with envy and tonight will be no exception. As I write, she dresses in the room directly above my own. She will put on a lovely evening gown and brush back her hair a little differently for me. My heart races at the thought of it. Upstairs, she dresses so elegantly to be my date for the evening. There will never be a night I look forward to more than this.**

Edward put his pencil down for a second to ponder the last idea. He was only seventeen; surely he might have another night somewhere in his life that will be just as looked forward to. He looked in a small looking-glass as he dipped his comb in a glass of water and ran it through his hair, making it hold closer to his head. He passed over his hair a few times with the comb, accomplishing a far more regal look than usual. He set the comb into the glass and closed the book, deciding that there would be nothing more exciting to him than getting ready to be Cara's date to a fancy gala for his father's work.

The gala was held annually and members of Edward Sr.'s job were rarely invited. It was a widely understood truth that once you were invited and made a good impression, a promotion was nearby. Edward heard of these beautiful blowouts from his father and when the invitation came, he begged and pleaded his father to put four people in attendance instead of three. He wanted Cara by his side.

As the night of the gala neared the eighth hour, Edward began to feel the nerves sink in. He paced his room listening, straining his ears for some sound from upstairs. Nothing. He began to worry if she was going to go or not. He sat on his bed and drummed his fingers on the wooden headboard. He looked from the ceiling to the clock.

Seven thirty-six.

He bounced his knee nervously, and then started picking invisible pieces of lint off his jacket.

Seven forty-two.

Edward sprung up from his bed and crossed the room to look into the looking-glass. He smoothed his hair and grabbed the single, short-stem red rose he got for Cara very early that morning. He stroked the pedals as he continued to pace.

Seven fifty-eight.

Edward breathed deeply in and out as he stared at the clock, willing it to move faster and faster. He walked over to the window, pulling the curtains back a little. People walked around as usual outside. The night was alive and bright with the daily action of Chicago residents and tourists on a Saturday night.

"Eddie!" Elizabeth called from the kitchen. Edward jumped, making the curtain fall in his face and push his hair to the side. He hastily went to the looking-glass again and combed his hair back into place.

"Yes, mother?" He called back mid-comb.

"We are leaving. You are ready, right?"

"Yes!" He said as he finished his last comb and looked at his reflection. He took another deep breath and took a drink of the comb water, immediately spitting it back into the glass.

"Ugh!" He exclaimed as he wiped his mouth with his wrist. He looked at himself again, breathing deeply. "It's just Cara... you have nothing to worry about... it is just Cara..." he nodded and straightened his jacket. "Just Cara." He whispered as opened his door, heading towards the front door. "Just Cara."

Edward waited at the stairway for his parents. They were always well-dressed and always looked proud to be with each other. He smiled as he watched them stride towards the door. They really did glow when they were together. They set the standard for love for Edward, whether they knew it or not. Edward turned to the door, watching his father as he opened the car door for Elizabeth. He did not hear the tiny steps descending down the stairs.

"You have not forgotten me, I hope." Edward smiled and turned around. His mouth dropped a little before he closed it, trying to avoid embarrassment.

Cara stood at the second to last step wearing a steel-blue floor length dress which managed to hug her body around her chest and waist. Her hair was swept up in a beautifully intricate looking up do which was secured by numerous pearl-tipped pins. Her cheeks were a dull pink and as she moved down the stairs, the smell of cinnamon wafted over to him. Edward was speechless.

"I hope you like the dress... I made it yesterday..." she smiled; making Edward's heart beat uncontrollably. He could not summon any words and simply extended his hand to her, offering the rose, almost as if offering a gift to Venus herself. Cara smiled wider and took it. "It's beautiful." She buried her nose into it.

"You're beautiful." Edward said quickly. He paused as she looked up at him.

"Thank you." She took the flower and attempted to secure it on a pin.

"Here..." Edward said taking the flower and putting it in her hair. "Perfect." He said as he stepped back and looked deep in her eyes. "Absolutely perfect."

...

The Gala was as esthetically pleasing as it was grand.

There, it was a sea of people dressed brilliantly. A lot of couples wore matching clothes; some wore all black or all white. And there were a handful of people who wore red (in order to stand out). Edward looked at Cara once more. No one stood out quite like she did. But it was never what she wore that did that for her that was only the flourish. She stood out simply because of the way she carried herself and her smile. She was a stunning person.

"Mr. and Mrs. Edward Masen!" A posh announcer called out to the room as Edward's parents walked in. The man took one look at Edward and Cara as they approached him. He discreetly handed Cara a dance card as he cleared his throat. "Edward Masen Jr. and escort, Cara Vivas." They walked proudly to their table, Edward pulling out Cara's chair for her so she could sit. When they sat a waiter placed a domed silver dish in front of them. Cara wrote feverishly on her dance card.

"What are you doing?" Edward asked as she finished the last line and moved her hand away. In every place, 'Edward Masen' was scribbled in.

"I don't like to meet new people." She said blushing slightly. Edward smiled as the music began to crescendo merrily.

"Well then, Miss Vivas, I believe this is our dance." Edward stood, taking Cara's tiny hand in his large one. For hours, they danced and dined, forgetting everyone else's presence. As the night neared the eleventh hour, Edward and Cara found their way onto a big balcony.

"Wow..." Cara said softly as they walked on. A few rose bushes were placed on the balcony which over looked the grounds of the event hall. The night was warm and clear. The stars glistened in the black sky. "Thank you." Cara said, turning to Edward. "This has been amazing."

"It was amazing because you were here." Edward said as he got closer to her. They both rested their hands on the edge of the railing, hands nearly touching.

…

The event hall was a two-hour drive away from the townhouse. The four of them got into the car, all very content and very tired, except, of course, for Edward Sr., who by the end of the night was positively elated since he was promised to have a 'talk' with his boss the following Monday morning. Edward and Cara sat close in the backseat. Cara groped the fabric of her skirt as Edward went in and out of sleep. Cara looked up at him.

"I'm really going to miss you," she whispered. She focused on her skirt again, thinking of all the past years since she lived in Chicago. Edward always left her for the summer. He always stayed with a friend of his in Michigan. His best friend, rather. They wrote constantly. From time to time, he let her read some of the letters. He seemed like a nice guy, just very promiscuous, "I wish you didn't have to leave." Silently, Edward thought of leaving too. He always hated being away from Cara for three whole months, although the vacation from his parents was nice. He smiled a little, keeping his eyes closed.

"What if you came with me?"

Cara smiled slowly and hugged Edward's arm close, resting her head on his shoulder. She closed her eyes thinking of a vacation, basically alone, with Edward. Such a happy thought lulled the both of them to a peaceful sleep.


	9. The Vacation

Okay, so, real quick before I get this up and running: first, its on time this week, so yeyy! Second, I've been gathering people to vote on the poll so thank you so much to those who voted. I got nervous yesterday because there was a six-way tie and I thought "That doesn't help me at all!" But its okay. What I decided was that Aron's surname would be Anderson (which I wanted for him at first because his father's name is "Andrew" and Anderson means "son of Andrew" so yaa... I like it. What I decided to do was find a way to use all of the names listed on the poll since everyone really liked them. But yaa, Anderson won for Aron, I'm happy about that. Thanks again guys! I'll be posting more polls so I can get the reader's help with the story. So keep voting guys! Anyway, last thing, keep in mind that for the next few chapters, Edward and Cara are seventeen at this point. I say that because sometimes its difficult to notice that characters get older as the story progresses. I have that issue. In fact, I can't seem to read the Harry Potter installments without thinking of Harry as ten years old. But, he is not and neither are our characters here. Just keep that in mind as the story treks on. I hope you like it. I write to please myself but aspire to please others. Anyway, must go on, please remember to comment, I do love comments! Enjoy my lovely readers!

...

After weeks of begging, reasoning, groveling and convincing, Cara was able to pack her trunk with all her summer dresses, hats and swimming costumes in preparation of her departure to Michigan. Edward had promised both her parents and his parents that he would look out for Cara and always be with her. This appealed to him greatly. He enjoyed the thought of spending the entire summer under the same roof as Cara. He saw it as an opportunity to get closer, and, with any luck at all, summon the courage to court her in a proper manner. The day before the departure, he hurried about his room, throwing clothes into his trunk barely bothering to fold anything. His heart went wild; his hands shook as he closed the lock on his trunk. He sat on his bed and studied his room, uncertain if he forgot anything or not. He knew that this trip would not only be a vacation, but a life-changing experience.

There were many reasons why Cara and Edward were driven over to Michigan instead of simply taking a train. For one thing, Edward never liked trains. They were too small and loud. They smelled of smoke and had too many people crammed onto it. Also, it took a lot of time and effort to convince Cara's parents to allow her to go, after this was accomplished, every seat on the train was booked up for the summer. However, the most dominant reason was that they both wanted to travel for longer and in closer proximity with each other.

"And this Aron is a gentleman?" Allegra asked nervously clutching onto the collar of her dress.  
>"Oh yes, he's the sweetest boy. We've sent Edward to stay with him over the summer for the past few years." Elizabeth smiled happily as Edward walked out of the house carrying one suitcase in each hand. He placed them on the lawn and walked back inside.<br>"You never go with him?" Another tight collar squeeze.  
>"Oh, no, it's a grand place but they keep horses." Edward Sr. said calmingly.<br>"Yes, Edward here is quite allergic to the horse hairs. We didn't stay there more than an hour; we had to take the next train back home." Elizabeth held her husband's hand and kissed it softly, "My poor dear."  
>"And what is the boy's father like? Good man?" Desi huffed.<br>"Salt of the Earth. In fact I believe he is going to drive them over." Elizabeth cooed.  
>"His mother?"<br>"Oh..." Edward Sr. and Elizabeth exchanged a glance.

"He doesn't have a mother... she died when his little sister was born. It's quite tragic, best not to mention it." Elizabeth said in a hushed tone.  
>"Yes, of course... how sad." Allegra became quiet. They all watched in awe as a shiny black automobile pulled up to the curb in that moment. A tall man in an expensive-looking suit got out of the car. Elizabeth waved and smiled.<br>"Hello, Ernest!"  
>The man walked over to them and extended his hand.<br>"Elizabeth, always a pleasure." He shook her hand then Edward Sr.'s. The man's smile was award-winning and comforting. He had a face anyone could trust, much like a politician. "Edward, it's been too long, sir."  
>"Ernest." Edward Sr. said neighborly. "How do you do?"<br>"Very well, sir, always." Another pearly smile, turning to Allegra, "You must be Allegra; I've heard so much of you." He shook her hand excitedly. She simply nodded. Desi extended his hand.  
>"Hello, sir, you must excuse my wife, we have never allowed our daughter to go somewhere on her own for such a long time. I'm Desi."<br>"Of course, of course, no need for exc-use, I understand entirely a daughter is a precious one. But, I assure you, she is safe in my care." Desi smiled as Allegra sighed.  
>"Thank you." She whispered as Cara walked out onto the lawn. Ernest smiled, walking towards her with his hand out.<br>"Hello miss." He shook her hand, "You must be Cara. It'll be a pleasure to have you." Cara smiled as Edward walked next to her.  
>"All ready." He said gleefully. Ernest smiled at him and pat Edward's head. "Good to see you, Ernest."<br>"And to you as well, my boy." Ernest said and picked up the two trunks. "I'll get these in the car so you kids can say your farewells." He walked off as Allegra hugged Cara tightly, bombarding her head with kisses.  
>Elizabeth hugged Edward and his father pat him on the back. As Cara hugged her father, Allegra hugged Edward.<br>"Make sure she is looked after Edward, I trust you." Edward nodded, looking lovingly at Cara over Allegra's shoulder. He would always be there for Cara.  
>Ernest held the car door open as they got in. They waved at their parents until they were mere dots on the horizon.<br>For about an hour, Ernest talked on and on. He talked about how long Edward has been coming up to Michigan; he talked about how Edward met Aron when he was only five or so. And when he stopped on the way to pick up four elegant summer dresses, nine medium packages in postage boxes, a long parcel usually used to hold maps or paintings, a new toaster and a very expensive Italian hand-made suit fit for a teenager, he explained that he was truly Aron's butler.  
>"That's right!" Ernest said as he piled the toaster box on the seat where Cara sat previously. "Ernest Royal at your service. I've been employed by the entire Anderson family for about 20 years next April." He chuckled, moving a box so it fit snugly under Edward's feet. "Not to give away my age or anything but—sorry, Ed— I've been in Andrew's employment since I was twenty-six years young, almost." He moved another box and placed a dress over it, seeming to fit all of the packages in the very limited space. "You kids alright?" He looked up at Edward and Cara. Cara had been fully moved from her seat to basically Edward's lap. Edward held her knees close to him so she didn't fall on the long parcel that stretched from door to door and with the other arm, he held her back.<br>"Yes." They both said all too eagerly. They looked at each other and smiled.  
>"Good!" Ernest said as he closed the door and hopped into the driver's seat, "because it'll be quite a few hours until we get there." He started the engine as they both shifted their weight, getting a little bit closer to each other.<p>

...

Hours passed. The three of them talked and laughed. They were floored by how many fascinating things Ernest knew and did. As the sky darkened, Cara's head became heavy and very soon, she rested her head on Edward's chest. He stroked her hair slowly, as he held her closer.  
>"Does she know?" Ernest asked quietly after a period of silence.<br>"Know what?"  
>"How much you love her?"<br>A pause.  
>"There is no way to say it without being so blunt." He followed a locke of her hair down to a perfect corkscrew curl and followed the spiral with his finger, "I hoped that living with her would help me to court her."<br>"But you live with her now." Ernest sighed and loosened his grip on the steering wheel, "You know what Aron is like... you know how he is with girls his age... I think that bringing her here was not the best idea, Ed."  
>"No..." Edward smiled as he stroked her cheek softly, "she is so different. She is so modest and innocent. And she knows better than to be seduced by the likes of him." He looked up as Ernest shrugged.<br>"I hope so, Ed. You and her look good together. Happy." He turned to look at Edward quickly, "just tell her soon." He looked back at the road and lowered his voice, "You know how he is."


	10. The Illusion

Early in the morning, the light from the sun glowed on the white silk bed sheets. Spooned in the blankets and pillows was a girl of age who stirred blissfully before lifting her head to a tall, erect figure beside her.

"Hey, stranger." she cooed as she stretched a little and sat up, covering herself with the sheets, "what's that?" He sat on the bed, already dressed in casual day wear which he wore with a certain prestige that was ever-present in him.

"Just a little espresso, I find it works the best for that headache you have." She caressed her temples as he handed her the small espresso cup.

"Thanks." she sipped as she scanned his body. "You're looking quite dapper." she put the cup down and leaned over to him, beginning to unbutton his shirt, "Ready for another go?" she whispered sensually. He chuckled uncomfortably and took her hands from his shirt, re-buttoning the button she un-did.

"You know, I think we need to talk..."

In a few moments, the front door was opened for Edward and Cara as a loud door slam was heard from the upstairs.

"UGHHH!" the girl groaned loudly, "How DARE you!" she spat as she thrust her feet onto the steps of the stairs. "How dare you!" she moaned as she fastened her right shoe on her left foot. She groaned and held her palm to her forehead, sensitive to the loud noise. "You think you can lead me to drink, take everything from me, serve me espresso and vow to never see me again?" He walked over casually to the top step, looking down on her like a child in the midst of a tantrum.

"Why, yes..." He said casually as he smoothed out his shirt.

"Well!" She breathed hard; she looked ravenous, "Fine! I don't want anything to do with you!"

"Ahh! Mr. Royal!" He smiled, looking genuinely happy to see Ernest. "I'm not sure exactly how up to it you are, but might I trouble you to bring home this young, tempestuous lady?" The girl's mouth gaped.

"I'm quite fine, son, I shall." Ernest said, nodding.

"You. Forgot. My. Name!" She huffed and groaned as her arms penetrated her coat, "you're despicable!"

"Ahh, then it is you who has forgotten my name, miss, I am Aron, and you are Emily." Aron smiled a bit and waved, "thank you for our time together, it was most memorable."

Emily let out a loud, final groan as she stomped out the door.

"Ms. Adler." Ernest said quietly as he held the door for her and followed her out. Aron sighed contently and focused on Edward.

"Ed!" Aron announced as he raced down the stairs and hugged him, "How was the drive?"

"Great, but what did you buy?" Edward said smiling.

"Oh, that's right..." he turned his head to a few maids dusting the tops of the console tables, "Florence, Marjorie, would you please empty the car?" They nodded and hurried out the door. Aron looked at Edward then at Cara. "Wait." He looked at her confused then looked at Edward who then sighed.

"Aron, this is Cara, I brought her to stay with us."

Aron nodded, knowingly, "That's right... that's right, you told me that..." he took her hand, "well, it's truly an honor."

Cara smiled wearily, unsure of how to react, "hello..." she said slowly. Aron laughed, letting go of her hand.

"You're right, Ed. About everything about her." He grinned as he looked her over, "you actually described her pretty perfectly, Ed." He looked up at her, "here I thought he was exaggerating." He chuckled as she looked away and cleared her throat. "You've become a kind of celebrity around here."

Cara half-smiled and turned her attention to Edward before a series of clicks descending down the stairs demanded their attention.

"Oh, good, Eddie is here now." A girl with semi-long, straight blonde hair walked towards them, her one-inch heels clicking rhythmically, "so good to see you." She pulled off a pair of small white gloves before hugging Edward. Cara looked away, embarrassed by a twinge of jealousy that she felt. She focused on the maids who carried out all the boxes from the car, "Ooohh! Things!" The girl said pulling away from the hug abruptly and running over to the maids. She scanned the boxes quickly and picked up the smallest one.

"You must excuse my sister's rudeness; she cannot seem to focus on anything for more than four seconds." Aron said looking at Edward then at Cara, "her name is Hailey." At the sound of her name, Hailey looked up immediately and turned her head to listen much like a lemur.

"Wait." She said putting the box down, "who are you?" She walked over quickly as Edward introduced her. Immediately upon hearing 'Cara', Hailey grabbed her and pulled her into a tight hug. "Cara!" She let go and held her hands, "I just know that we will become the best of friends." She smiled genuinely, her eyes brightening, "one of them is for you!" She grasped her hand as she led her to the pyramid of boxes the maids set up. Hailey looked them over and grabbed a box near the top, "this one!" She thrust it into Cara's hands.

"Thank you." Cara half-smiled, still confused but easing slightly. She lifted the cover gently.

"It's just a little welcome gift. Ed told us how you like them." Hailey said proudly. Cara gaped at the quaint arrangement of wild blue irises in the box she lifted them and smelled them, memories of vacations past flooding her mind. She smiled, "we got them all the way from New York." Hailey announced.

"Thank you." Cara said, hugging her, "you're right, we will be good friends." She said happily. Hailey smiled and walked to the drawing room with Cara. A few maids and butlers followed them, carrying the rest of the boxes.

...

"The poor lad was only about twelve but that didn't keep him from believing he was great at everything." Ernest laughed as he finished his last piece of broiled chicken.

"Oh! I do remember that!" A maid, Marie, laughed, "Do you remember the sailboat?"

The table, apart from Cara and Aron, burst out in laughter.

"What happened?" Cara asked as she forked a red seasoned potato and chewed it blissfully.

"Well three years ago, Aron wanted to impress... I don't know... some girl who loved the water." Ernest began.

"But of course, he knows nothing about being on the water and any of that." Hailey continued as she served herself another helping of salmon fillet.

"So he went out and bought a sailboat." A handsome dark-skinned waiter recalled as he piled wild rice onto his plate. "You outdid yourself here, Miss May." He said happily as everyone nodded and smiled at the short, light-skinned woman called May. She smiled a wide toothy grin, making her nose scrunch up and move her tiny glasses down a little.

"I rememba dat boat. I was on dat boat dat day." She chuckled, her whole upper body laughed with her, "He took hi' little girlfriend an' Ernest an' me so I could cook for dem." Another quaking laugh, "ev'rything was fine til' we left da dock."

More laughter.

"I remember how she flew off when he made that harsh turn when the wind kicked up!" Ernest laughed as he poured himself a cup of coffee.

"How many sutures was it?" Florence asked as she cut a slice of cake for herself, "eighteen?"

"Twenty-one!" Aron admitted as he grinned and took a sip of his wine. The table burst out laughing. The dishwasher, George, fell out of his chair, "well, she was a fine girl. And now I have a boat." Another sip.

"How long did you date her?" Cara asked. The table hushed. Aron searched her eyes.

"A day." He said as he sipped again. Hailey sighed and took her plate quietly. She left the room and slowly, one by one, the staff lifted their plates from the table and walked towards the kitchen, getting ready to wash up and continue their jobs.

"A day?"

"Yes." He reclined in his chair, focusing only on Cara, "you see, after the accident and the proper medical attention was given, she found it cute that I tried to impress her." He set his fork on his plate as Ernest walked behind him and took his empty plate from him, walking away with it, "she and I spent the night and then I left. That is the way I have dated women for the past few years now." Before Ernest left the room, he looked back at the table and sighed, shaking his head. This left only Edward Cara and Aron.

"But don't they hear about you from others?" Cara became confused as she turned it over in her head, "you must have a terrible reputation. Do women not get turned off by the stories they hear?"

"They do!" He chuckled and took another sip of his wine, "they always do and many are, indeed, put off. However, I have a theory-" he put down the glass, "they always go for me because they think they will be the one." She smirked.

"The one what?" Edward said quietly as he focused on his cloth napkin.

"The one to change me." He looked at Cara perversely, "and we all know how women... love to do something... hard..." his foot touched hers and with that, her chair made a loud scraping sound as it was pushed out. She stood up tall; her face was flushed with anger and annoyance. She held onto her napkin tight before placing it gently on the table.

"Good night, Edward." She said softly. Edward looked up at her apologetically although she never removed her horrified glare from Aron "I'll see you in the morning." She left the room.

…

Another author's note at the bottom, guys! So, a few things before I sign off, I hope you noticed that the beginning was full of sex imagery, this is intentional. Also that I waited until the very end to introduce the name of Aron's one night stand. Also quite intentional. I wanted some anonymity to the beginning to relay the message of this lifestyle of anonymous intimacy. It's a thing I'm unfamiliar with so the way I see it, the more I can throw it in your face as unobtrusively as I can, the better. I also wanted to point out how Aron and Hailey treat their staff as family, you will learn why soon. However, please pay attention to the manner in which they were addressed: first name or last name. This is important! Anyway, thanks so much for reading, I'll repost mid-week next week. Be sure to review, cheers!


	11. The Cards

Quickly, because I'm in a rush: as a code, I chose 'doing laundry' as a euphemism for having sex (It's explained briefly later, hope you'll catch it). Viv is short for Vivas and Andy is short for Anderson because they call each other by their last names because they're not that close. okay? great, comment please! Cheers!

...

**17 July 1918**

**As much as the staff tells me otherwise, I am happy I brought Cara. We spend most of our time together. We sit next to each other at meals, we go out for walks and to theaters alone and we can be ourselves. It is only the times when Aron is around that appear to create any sort of dilemma. They are a strange pair when forced to be in the same room. They can be civil and speak calmly, but Aron has no restraint. The moment he mentions his frequency of "doing laundry" or how poorly he treats his conquests, Cara is immediately defensive. They are able to laugh together just as easily as they shout at each other. It is a volatile production and it catches me between a rock and a hard place. Aron is my best friend. Cara is my greatest love. It is important to me that they are, at least, tolerant of one another.**

Cara lied down comfortably on the floor of the sun room when Edward walked in. He stopped at the entrance and smiled. Her back arched slightly as her stomach was elevated by the overstuffed down pillow. Her left hand was smudged with black. The right scribbled feverishly as she looked up occasionally at the cook, Miss May, who posed looking at a blooming flower. Edward stepped forward and purposefully creaked the floorboards. Cara stopped as May looked up and smiled.  
>"Good ta see ya Ed." She never broke her pose.<br>"Hello May, just wanted to say good night." Edward said as Cara adjusted her body to face him. May wiggled her fingers and resumed her position. Edward sat next to Cara.  
>"You go to bed too early." She whispered as she lied on her stomach again and kept sketching.<br>"It is well after two, I believe I have been awake long enough." He smiled and kissed her head, "You should rest too. I have something planned for us tomorrow."  
>"Really?" Cara's eyes brightened, "what?"<br>"It is a surprise." He smiled and looked at the sketch then at May, "beautiful." Edward put a hand on her cheek before getting up, saying a final 'good night' and heading off.  
>The room was silent for a few minutes before it was interrupted by a few footsteps and another floor creak.<br>"Decided to give me a hint?" Cara smiled as she turned and said a small "oh" as Aron walked through the doorway. The look on his face seemed foreign in comparison to the smug look Cara was accustomed to seeing. He looked drained and tired, but, even more than that, apologetic. Cara turned to May, "Thank you so much dear but I believe that is enough posing for one day. Tomorrow after breakfast?" May smiled and got up with a squeak of the chair and a soft grunt. She pat Cara's shoulder as she walked by and nodded a 'good night'. Cara stood after May left.  
>"I want to talk to you." Aron said earnestly.<br>"Okay..."  
>"I'm sorry."<br>Cara raised an eyebrow, he continued.  
>"I have yet to be terribly hospitable and that is not right. I would like to officially welcome you and invite you to go for a nightcap with me." Aron watched her face carefully, noting every flicker of emotion.<br>"I'm not sure... I really should rest, it's rather late."  
>"Oh... well then... good night." He said defeated and turned to leave.<br>"Err... where is the place?" Cara asked curiously as Aron turned and gave her a wide grin, injected with the same genuine happiness that Ernest always sported.  
>"You'll love it."<p>

...

Since she was from Chicago, Cara heard of the speakeasies. It was only rumored that alcohol would become national contraband however for many places, it was already illegal. Aron never cared. He enjoyed drinking. Thought it was a necessity in some cases. For most nights, it was necessary to the point where he was willing to be driven ninety minutes away from his luxurious home to a common neighborhood slum area.  
>"LLet, two 'l's." Aron whispered as the eye window opened. The man behind it had tiny eyes and wore tiny glasses. He nodded before closing the window and slowly opening the door. As he did, a dull hum of noise poured out the door.<p>

All around, the one story, no-window building was dimly lit. Even the people participating in the debauchery did not want to know all of what went on inside. Aron navigated around easily. He greeted many people, including the bartender, before ordering them two glasses of wine. Cara looked around nervously as she avoided breathing in the cigarette smoke. Some women flounced around them in tiny skirts and had very short hair. Men from every social class seemed to be here. Some wore tattered shoes with stained shirts while others looked like Aron. When she turned towards Aron, she could have sworn she caught a glimpse of a local mayor running for representative. She though it probably was not him, but it was.

"What does the password mean?" Cara asked as she sipped the wine. Aron smirked.

"Long Live Eight-Teen." He began walking towards a small room beside the bar as Cara followed, "If drinking becomes illegal, there will be tons of these all over the place. It'll be great. I won't have to travel such a long time." He pulled out a small silver key and opened the door. About five men around his age sat at a table, money in a pile in the center, cards in hand: a true felony.

"Now it's started!" One of the younger boys said as he put out a cigar and picked up a new one to start. Aron walked in, Cara following. The boys froze as Cara sat down next to Aron.  
>"What is she doing here?" An older boy with blonde hair asked as he took a short drag from his cigar.<br>"She will play with us." Aron said shortly, dealing cards in front of him and then to Cara.  
>"But it's improper for a girl to gamble." The young boy whispered as he stroked his cards. Cara looked at him and downed the wine quickly. A rush of burn ran down her throat, it was delightful.<br>"I think you'll find I do many things that are improper." She smirked and took the deck of cards, "I'll deal."

The boys drank and laughed with Cara. She and Aron talked much more than they did at the house. He was actually pleasant.  
>"Fold."<br>"Fold."  
>"Fold."<br>"Fold."  
>Some of the boys scratched their head or took a drink; all were disappointed with their hand. The hand left only Aron and Cara standing.<br>"Viv, I'll show you mine if you show me yours." Aron narrowed his eyes at her as she peered at him over her sixth glass of wine.  
>"Andy, I have a feeling you have said that many times before." Cara said. The table mumbled an agreement as they leaned back to watch the stand-off.<p>

"Nope," Aron said as he put a few bills into the pile, "I always take what I want whenever I can get it. I don't bother asking." Cara smirked and raised. Aron raised. Cara raised. Aron called, "If I win, I'll take you home." He said in a low voice, "you need some rest."  
>"Of course, regardless." Cara put her cards on the table face-down, "If I win, you tell me something personal." Cara giggled as she watched Aron's cards moved towards the table.<br>"Of course." Aron said as he set them down then turned them over, "four A's and a Jack." he said proudly. The boy's heads all turned at the same time to see Cara's hand.  
>"Wow..." she said sadly, "that is a great hand... truly..." she bit her lip and yawned a little, "I guess I will be going home boys." She flipped her cards over slowly revealing a ten, ace, king queen and jack of hearts, "only, I'll be going home the victor!" The boys laughed and cheered loudly. Aron sat at the table dumb-founded as Cara pocketed her winnings. The boys cleared the table quickly and left.<p>

The ride home was full of giggles and whispers. Although, Aron kept his distance. In the back of his mind, he read over the letters he received from Edward over all these years. There were the 'nonsense' letters that his parents may sometimes skim through, however there were much more discreet letters they exchanged hidden in a small pocket of the envelope which contained Edward's ramblings of his love for Cara and Aron's 'laundry list' of conquests. Aron knew that he could never betray Edward in such ways. Normally, a drunken, disorderly and vulnerable girl would be his perfect target. But this was Cara. Edward's Cara. He could not feel anything towards her. The rain drip from the edges of the roof onto the tops of their heads as Aron fiddled with the key at the door.  
>"It's so pretty outside." Cara said slowly as she stepped away from the canopy of the roof and out to the driveway. She spun a few times giggling as the rain moistened her skin. Aron looked at her and smiled before opening the door.<br>"Come on. You should sleep."  
>Cara walked inside with a pouty face and Aron closed the door behind her, making his way up the stairs. When he walked into his room and loosened his tie, he was surprised to hear tiny footsteps walk in. Cara's hair dripped at the ends but her clothes were mainly dry. Aron cleared his throat, thoroughly uncomfortable by the look she was giving him. A look he'd seen on many a woman. She crossed the room and lied on his bed. He sat next to her and began untying his shoes casually.<br>She moved her shoulders so the sleeves of her dress slid down. She moved towards him and kissed his neck softly as she unbuttoned his shirt. She kissed his jaw line as she slid the shirt over his shoulders and down his arms.  
>"Do it..." she whispered quietly.<br>"Do what?" He asked. She pulled away from him and unbuttoned the top of her dress as she looked into his eyes. She let it fall, exposing much of her corset. "Treat me like you treat the others." Aron gulped and looked at her in a daze. Instinctively, everything told him to pounce on her like a hungry lion. But something else told him not to. Some dead seed of morality that magically sprouted the moment he saw her. He focused on her eyes instead of her body. She looked determined... and still quite drunk. She crawled over to Aron and sat in front of him, beginning to undo his belt. He looked at her and for a second, he swore he saw a glimpse of something sad... was it desperation? He wasn't sure. He held her bare shoulders tight, trying not to focus on her soft skin and smooth hair; he looked into her eyes.  
>"Goodnight, Cara." He stroked her cheek once and got up, collecting his shirt and beginning to rebutton it.<br>Cara looked up at him with a face that completely broke his heart.  
>"You... you don't want me...?"<br>"We're drunk, Cara... we shouldn't do this." Aron admitted as he avoided her face. There was a small pause.  
>"All those other girls..." Cara mused quietly.<br>"You're different than them!" Aron pleaded. "It's not that I don't want you!"  
>"Really? So 'Mr. I take anything I want whenever I can', wants me but can't have me?" Cara bit down hard on her lip and pulled her dress up but didn't button it.<br>"You don't understand!"  
>"I did wonder what you say to those girls you do not want... now I know..." Cara hissed and closed her eyes, grasping the pillow.<br>"Cara..."  
>"Please, I don't want you here right now... I just want to go to sleep." She looked into his eyes. Both Aron and Cara felt tears forming. "Please leave..." Cara whispered.<br>"I'm sorry." Aron said before hanging his head like a scolded pup. As he walked through the door, he heard a sniffle behind him.  
>"Damn..." he said as he walked down the long narrow hallway whisking away a couple tears of his own.<p> 


	12. The Wine

There was a period of chill after that night. Although Hailey and Edward were unsure of what happened, they knew something happened. The wait staff knew and took the liberty of serving Aron his meals in his bedroom. Aron was ashamed. He stayed in his room for two days and two quiet nights thinking about that night with Cara. Aron could not seem to accept that despite how much he hurt Cara and how much he wanted her, he did not regret what he did. He couldn't. It was not his place. Edward loved her and it would be a fate worse than death to lose his only true friend over a girl.

But, in the background, a plan was being devised ever so strategically to break the silence and, in some ways, to create a harmony lasting the rest of the summer. On the third day, Hailey began her scheme. She walked into Aron's room and dramatically pulled the curtains.

"It's so sunny this morning!" she walked over to his bed and pulled off the silk sheet. It floated in the air momentarily before gracefully drifting down to Aron's feet. Aron lied face down on the pillow, clothes sleep-wrinkled, hair left uncombed.

"That's nice." he sighed and turned over, revealing his sleep-deprived eyes. Hailey threw a few hangers of clothing over his shoulder.

"I want to go to the beach - the nice one - so get dressed." she walked to the door and turned back, "I'll call Robert to give you a shave." as he sat up, she threw a pair of underpants at his head before leaving.

...

"But Hailey, you don't get it," Cara pleaded as numerous bottles of wine were carefully wrapped in napkins by Evangeline and stuffed into a box filled with ice, "these are the only swimming costumes I have." Spread across the dining room table were four swimming costumes. One was black, another was moss, another was navy and nother was navy with a black stripe across the midsection. Hailey was horrified.

"But... no!" she whined, "It's not enough." Hailey whispered and groped the fabric as she contemplated her next move. The sound of a box being cut open sliced through the silence of thought. Hailey smiled and ran off.

"Hailey!" Cara shouted after her. She sucked her teeth as Hailey rounded the corner to the stairs, ignoring her. Cara looked at the swimming costumes in admiration and pride. She picked up the black one and held it against her body. She loved that one. It was the first thing Cara bought with her own money. Hailey waltzed into the room and cleared the table with a long sweep of her arm. She took the cozzy from Cara and lay it flat on the table, cutting it in two with shears, "What are you doing!" Cara demanded.

"Trust me!" Hailey said without looking up and continued cutting. She took off the sleeves and the midsection. She took off most of the fabric meant to cover the legs so it only covered five inches of her upper thigh. Hailey threaded two silk ribbons on the fabric that, at this point, only covered the bust and then threw the scraps on the floor, giving Cara the finished product, "Put it on!"

"Are you crazy?" Cara exclaimed looking over the scant amounts of clothes. Hailey sighed and grabbed Cara's shoulders, looking at her with intention.

"My brother hurt you, right?" Cara nodded, vaguely recalling the event, "Then why not make him regret it?" Hailey asked seriously. Cara pursed her lips and walked off with her new cozzy into the nearby bathroom.

"Are you ready?" Edward asked loudly as he walked down the stairs.

"Soon, all in good time!" Hailey said as she hid the scraps under a chair, "Where's Aron?"

"He's combing his hair." Edward said, ruffling Hailey's hair playfully, "I'll be in the car waiting." he said and walked out just as the bathroom door opened. Hailey looked Cara over once and grinned happily, giving her an enormous sun hat.

"It's perfect." Hailey said and gave Cara a light summer dress to wear over it.

...

The dock was a short drive away; however, the good beach, with beautiful sun-warmed sand and sky blue water was a semi-long boat trip away. Hailey adored sailing, even if it is considered unlady-like. She enjoyed the sun and basked in it as the wind cooled her. While on the boat, Cara took out a small book and began writing in it. As she did, Edward walked out of the cabin with Aron following. They spoke low and seriously. Watching the hushed conversation annoyed Cara and prompted her to untie her summer dress as Hailey untied the boat from the dock. When the boat was making its way to the beach, Cara's dress was neatly folded beside her and she lounged on the chair, waiting for Aron to notice. Edward glanced over to Cara mid-sentence and then back at Aron. In a moment, he lost his train of thought and looked back at Cara, thinking he was imagining the image before him- he wasn't. He looked back at Cara whom lied in the sun-bathed chair, only shaded by the hat she wore. Almost all of her skin showed, only covering the important bits. It was unlike any swimming costume Edward saw anyone wear and the fact that it was on Cara made it that much more alluring. Due to his loss of focus, Aron searched for the distracting and was then a victim to it as well. Both of them were speechless. This seemingly innocent day of bliss turned into possibly the most difficult test of will power to ever be endured, creating that much more of a reason for Aron, Edward and Cara to get inconceivably drunk.

...

Towards nightfall, when the nighttime bonfire was lit, everyone relaxed a bit more. All of them had splashed around in the cool calm ocean water and shared jokes and funny stories. They ate picnic foods and drank far too much wine. It was when Aron and Cara began to nod off that Hailey began the second step of her plan.

"So Ed," she said quietly, "Can I ask you something?"

"Yaa-umm humm." Edward was fighting sleep.

"What do you think of Cara?"

"Huum?"

"Well... romantically..."

For a moment, Edward contemplated the question, but the wine clouded his mind. He shook his head as he forgot the question and giggled, "She's my friend-best." Another drunken giggle, "Best... best friend."

Hailey bit her lip, "And Aron?"

Edward laughed a little loudly, "He too! I love all my best friends." he took another drink and looked across the dying flames at Cara. She used a towel as a dress and a small mountain of sand as a pillow. Her hair was damp and beginning to curl around the stray bits of caught seaweed. She looked like a beautiful mermaid.

"Well, I think they should be together... romantically." Hailey said seriously as she sipped on a glass of grape juice. Edward looked at her and then at Cara. In his mind, he heard her say 'you should be with her' and to this, he nodded, never taking his eyes off her. Hailey nodded as she sipped her drink, ready to move on to the next phase.

_I still have no idea what she did between now and when I woke up mid-day the next day. But somehow, she was able to set the ground work for their romance overnight. If I knew how skilled a matchmaker she was, I would've told her I loved Cara way before any of this happened. But I didn't. I really wish I did..._

_..._

In short, I adore American time. However, I will be heading back home in about a week or so (not on a Wednesday, I know that now). So I sha'nt get used to it but its bloody perfect. My family dictates the lions share of my time now and at night, I can write to my heart's content. It's brilliant. Anyway, I'll keep this one short as well. I was inspired by this American car advert I saw a few months ago where some car dealership was trying to compare their innovativeness to Louis Réard (inventor of the modern-day bikini). Which was daft but made me think of how shocking it would've been to see a woman go from wearing this terrible jumpsuit with long sleeves and pants to a bikini. So I took a few liberties in terms of time and ta-da! Thanks for reading and I'll see you next time! Remember to comment, comments make writers happy!


	13. The Laundry

Hailey was right in her actions. After the day at the beach, Aron was much more inclined to be with the others. He shared meals them again. He laughed more comfortably and breathed easier. The only thing different was how he seemed to completely refrain from sharing "laundry" stories. This was appreciated. For the first time that summer, a true and undeniable harmony was achieved which put everyone in a good mood...  
>"Sorry we're late." Hailey said walking into the dining room taking off her white gloves.<br>"I hope you haven't waited." Ernest said as he took Cara and Hailey's coats to hang them up.  
>"No!" May said as she wiped her mouth, "You know da roo-l, dinna always 7 oo-clock." She forked some carrots and chewed happily.<br>Hailey took a seat towards the head of the table near Edward, Ernest sat between May and Robert. Only one seat remained, towards the end of the table.  
>... A great mood...<br>"You can sit next to me." Aron cooed after sipping a little wine to wash down the previous oversized mouthful of chicken. Cara sat next to him and began to serve herself.  
>"How was the theater?" Aron asked casually.<br>"It was delightful." Cara said with a smile, "we're going back later tonight." She looked at him and took his hand under the table, "but it's nice to be back." She added in a low whisper with a squeeze of his hand. Aron froze as electricity ran through his entire body.  
>A really great mood...<p>

The white curtains glowed as the light from the bright quarter moon shined on it. The windows of Aron's bedroom were opened a little to allow the summer winds to flow in freely. Aron changed into a wrinkled and soap-stained house shirt along with an old pair of cotton pants. He refrained from wearing shoes or socks and headed out his bedroom door.  
>The night proved to be darker than anticipated as he headed outside and towards the glass enclosure beside the sunroom. He walked in quietly and shut the door behind him tight. He navigated through the dark room with ease, struck a match and lit a half melted candle which bathed the small room in a warm amber glow.<br>He walked to the large sink and filled the familiar iron pot with water which he set on the small stove to heat. As he waited, he pulled a stool next to the large wooden tub nailed to the floor. One by one, he carefully placed various pieces of clothing into the tub. He stopped when he found shirts which were stained with spilled drink and lipstick. He scrubbed these with precise care, as he soaped away those nights, he felt better, as if the nights themselves were being scrubbed away and only the future remained before him. He walked over to the stove and took the pot. He poured it into the tub, careful not to let the water spill over. He threw a bar of soap into the mix along with a dozen lemon slices. As he groped around for the washboard he felt a draft tickle his neck followed by small footsteps. He stood immediately.  
>"What are you doing here?" Cara asked as she held a dim lantern towards Aron.<p>

"I…uh…" in many cases, when this question was presented to him, a lie would've slipped from his lips smoothly. But instead, he decided to try the truth, "I like to do laundry." A pause, "Like… real laundry." An uncomfortably chuckle-sigh hybrid.

"That's sweet." Cara smiled and set the lantern down. She dragged a stool next to him and sat down. There was silence for a moment. The only thing that made a sound was the occasional sound of scrubbing.

"I missed you today." Aron admitted quietly. More silence, more scrubbing.

"No you didn't." Cara whispered, looking down at her nails. Aron sighed.

"I did." Aron said as he groped around in the half-darkness for the washboard once more. He found its shape and propped it against the rim of the tub. More silence mixed with the abrasion between the washboard and the clothes.

"You know," Cara said, cracking a smile, "You still haven't told me that personal thing from the other night." She looked at him hopefully. He couldn't help but smile.

"Why would you want to hear anything about my life?"

"Because!" she huffed, "You're… well… you! You're the enigma, the mystery person so infamous in and yet so desirable." She giggled, "And I want to meet you. The real Aron Anderson."

"Well," he half-laughed, thinking back to every adjective that others have used to describe him. Somehow, infamous and desirable have never been used, "Ask me something then, and I'll try not to lie." He took a shirt as she contemplated. The water splashed a little as he paid attention to her face.

"Anything?"

"Mhmm."

Scrub, swoosh, swoosh, scrub.

"Who was the first girl?"

The soap dropped into the tub. It floated for a moment, felt heavy and sunk down to the bottom.

"The first girl I…?"

"Laundry."

"Right…" He washed the soap residue off his hands and placed them on his knees.

In a way, she wanted to retract the question. In a way, he wanted her to disregard it, in a way, she wanted to know. In a way, he wanted to talk about it,

"It was a while ago…" He said with a sigh, he looked at Cara and smiled, "her name was Kathleen." He gulped, "It's uh… a long story…"

"I'm not tired." Cara smiled, Aron nodded and took a deep breath.

"We were very little. It was the autumn before my twelfth birthday. My father worked constantly and when we did have time, he usually spent half of it with someone else…"

When one looked at Mr. Andrew Anderson, one did not see the image of a man who wanted nothing more out of life than a beautiful wife and two gorgeous children. Although, before Hailey was born, that was exactly who he was. He barely spent time at the bank where he worked. His eyes shone with joy whenever you mentioned anything about his family. His house was always filled with light-hearted conversations and laughter. Life was full and bright. He was a proud man. He was a happy man.

"…You see, when Hailey was born, there were a few complications. I was only four so I didn't understand any of it. The only thing I knew was that my mother and father left one night and my father came back the next afternoon alone. One of the maids carried in Hailey…"

The doctors did not allow him into the delivery room, they did not give him the opportunity to hold his wife's hand as it grew stiff and cold. They denied him the chance to say a final 'I love you' before her eyes closed for the final time. He never did hold his daughter. He didn't want to see her. From then on, he began to stay a lot later at the bank. There was less life and more caretakers. More whispers and less laughs. More women and less comfort. More liquor and less father.

"…So here I am, twelve-ish… my father walks into the house and behind him is a very tall blonde woman with a long coat over her. Behind her is a girl who's about three or so years older than me but just around my height…"

The instructions were simple, the expectations were impossible.

"…He just told me 'make her feel nice, if not, it's not worth nothing'…"

The two sat on the bed for a while, trying hard to tune out the abrasive sounds from their parents in the other room. She wore this tiny white dress. It could've fit his sister.

"…Afterwards we wrapped ourselves in the blankets and held each other… and we cried…" Aron moved his head down, his hair fell in his eyes to hide the tears that threatened to fall. Cara saw something she never saw in its entirety: vulnerability. He looked like a painting, a heartbreaking painting, "I don't think I've ever cried so much in my entire life…" he sniffled a little, "I hated seeing her go… I really did…"

They dressed each other, trying to keep from touching bare skin. It warmed them to embrace fully clothed. It helped.

"…She was so beautiful..."

Her mother kept the money for both of them.

"…After that night, my father told me every single day that it was only right for a man to never love women. He told me that they would just hurt you. He forbade me to marry anyone… ever. He told me the only natural thing a man is to do in this life is to wake up every morning with a different woman…"

So that's what he did.

"… There was this one winter night though… my father and I were walking along the street around nine or something… we just came from a show… and on the end of this one alleyway, I thought I saw something weird… When I got close, I just knew it had to be Kathleen…"

Her face looked tired and drained. Her skin was pale and her eyes were big, she mumbled and sweat. Her hands shook with a violence seldom seen. Her chest bled

"I threw my coat over her and scooped her up from the gutter without a second thought. I carried her all the way to the hospital about ten blocks down." He took a few shirts from the tub and squeezed out the water. Cara was so engulfed in the story that a few small droplets of warm soap water that splashed on her bare forearm startled her. He continued.

"I got there and frantically asked around for someone… anyone who could help her. My father stood in the corner of the room, smoking his cigar."

After hours of nurses, doctors and nervous pacing, the doctors let Aron see Kathleen. They knew. He knew. This was simply a courtesy.

"She still looked tired but they bandaged the cut well enough. When I got her she was wearing this tiny bloody dress thing. In the hospital, she wore the cotton gown. She was so beautiful. She took my hand and she told me something… and not a day passes by where I don't think about what she told me."

'I'm so glad I loved you.' Her breathing slowed and gently came to a graceful halt. Thankfully, her eyes closed.

Another pause. Long. Painful. Emotional. Pause.

"And my father…" his voice cracked ever so slightly, "my father had the nerve to walk next to me in the waiting room and tell me…"

'Don't cry for her… Don't ever cry for anyone. That means that you love them. Don't ever love anyone. The moment you feel that love is part of the deal, you walk away. Even with me. One day, I'm going to leave. And don't you dare miss me.'

"He walked out of the hospital, I took a moment then followed him. He was right… He did leave… And I have yet to truly miss him…" Aron shook out a few more shirts and got up, quickly wiping his eyes on his arm. Cara walked towards him and looked up at Aron. She wiped a stray tear away with her thumb. He sighed, relieved.

"And here I was, wanting to ask who your first kiss was." She chuckled and took a few shirts from the pile on his arm and shook off the excess water before placing it on the wire to dry.

"Well, that would have been a shorter answer," Aron half laughed and laid a few shirts on the line as well, "I've umm… I've never kissed anyone on the mouth."

"Never?"

"No… not ever."

They secured a few shirts with clothespins in silence.

"Have you ever wanted to?"

"Yes."

"With who?"

"…" A few snaps of clothes pins, a few whooshes of clothes.

"With me?"

"…Yes…" a whisper.

"…Why haven't you?" More snaps, more whooshes. Aron bit his bottom lip. He could do one of two things. Either tell Edward's truth or tell his truth. Either way, he jeopardizes his friendship. But he saw no other way.

"You petrify me, Cara." Aron admitted quietly, "The way you smile at me and how you held my hand. It shakes me to my core. You look at me with this look... and I feel like you just see into my soul. I mean... I- I am so excited to see you every day..." he dropped the clothes on the floor and showed her his hands, "my hands shake..." he clutched his throat, "my throat gets dry. I want to hear what you have to say. I want to say or do something to make you laugh." His voice started to raise, "Goddamn it, you have no idea... how much... I love it when you laugh... you do this thing where your eyes water and your cheeks get real pink... you know, it's like..." a sigh, "Never-mind. But the point is, this isn't me... this is some mushy, crazy person that you bring out of me... someone who's nervous to talk to a girl! I mean, really! Wha... when have I ever been nervous to talk to a girl?" He held his forehead as he began to pace the room, "Never, that's when! But now I'm worried about sounding sophisticated and… suave but it always comes out awkward... You know that I haven't seen another girl since that day you got here? I've been getting calls every hour from girls who beg for me... and now" he turned over a nearby trash bag, freeing a heap of tiny pieces of paper onto the floor, "now I save their messages to start the fireplace!" He huffed, "I don't care about them. I don't care about anyone," he lowered his voice as he drew nearer to her, "I don't even care about myself…" he took her hands, "when you walk into a room, my world centers around you... and when you leave, I long for you to come back." Another sigh, he released her hands, "you care about me Cara. No one has ever cared about me like you have... you listen when I talk... you make me feel so important, always... and you are so pure... so innocent..." he took a deep breath and held her shoulders tight, "But I'm so afraid of falling in love with you."

Cara looked at him with a straight face. Her mood flickered from pity to understanding. She held his waist, stood on her toes and kissed his lips softly. They stayed for a few seconds unmoving. What she felt was undeniable. What he felt surpassed any other pleasure he'd ever experienced. She broke away slowly, leaning back on her heels.  
>"I think you already did." She said slowly and took her lantern as she walked towards the door.<p> 


	14. The Talk

Later the next night, Aron and Edward sat facing each other at the dining room table. A bottle of vintage Merlot 1887 sat between them and two glasses were beside them. Edward's glass was half-empty, Aron's glass was half-full.

"You know what...?" Edward asked with a hint of slur to his voice, "I'm done with the women here... In this room... Place, wherever. Here." He took a sip of wine.

"What do you mean?" Aron said, hoping his hopefulness was not showing. He swirled his wine in his glass as he tried to remain nonchalant.

"I mean..." Another sip, "The whole thing with Cara is just a dead cause... It should not be so difficult to get us from friends… to…" he took a larger swig of wine as he forgot what he was going to say.

"Well, the good news is that Mr. Royale can get his hands on some really good wine." Aron smiled, looking down into his untouched glass.

Edward laughed half-heartedly, "Yaa... He's a gr-ood guy." He shrugged and took another sip.

"Good and great?" Aron asked with a smirk.

"EXACTLY!" Edward laughed and finished off his glass._ It is true luxury to get drunk off of a merlot older than you are._

Aron smiled, "Ya, he's a pretty gr-ood guy. You want some more wine, Eddie?"

Edward stared at the bottom of his empty glass, "Hmm... Just a little more..."

Aron laughed and poured him more wine, filling it half way once more, "That's my buddy!" Edward laughed as the small sound of footsteps down carpeted steps was heard. Cara walked happily into the dining room,

"Hello" Cara smiled brightly.

"Hello, Andy." Aron said happily as Edward waved a little. The both of them gazed at her as she smiled. They did not notice the other, "Won't you sit and have a drink with us?" As Cara opened her mouth to reply, Hailey's tiny heels clacked against the marble floor of the foyer.

"The dresses wait for no one, Cara! Every moment delayed is a beautiful dress gone!" Hailey walked in, hanging a pearl earring from one ear then the other, "say goodbye to your boyfriend and let's leave!" Hailey hastily put on her little white traveling gloves, "I get very anxious when I have to wait."

Cara smiled and kissed the top of Aron's head as she put her hand over his, "Save a glass for me." She said softly and smiled at him as he nodded. She looked at Edward and smiled warmly, "I'll see you at dessert, Edward!" she waved and Hailey took her hand, pulling her towards the door playfully, "Goodbye!" Cara managed before the door shut behind them. Aron turned to Edward apprehensively, his mouth gaped in shock.

"So… I uhh, am slightly dating Cara now..." Aron said apologetically. Edward didn't move, "I'm sorry!" Still unmoving... "It just... happened." Aron downed his glass quickly and kept talking, nervously, "see... I was talking to her last night while we were doing laundry together... And-"

"YOU DID WHAT?!" Edward screamed, his face red with fury.

"NOT LIKE THAT! Like ACTUAL laundry!" Aron said, raising his arms in defense." Edward's face was still stricken with anger but Aron continued, "So… we were talking and it got personal and she kissed me…" he looked over at Edward, terrified by his expression, he hoped Edward was drunk enough to not want to punch him, "And since then, she's been sweet on me, but I swear to you, that's the only thing! I don't think we're really together. You know how my sister is, trying to play Cupid! This is not serious." Aron poured himself more wine and gulped it quickly, trying to wash down the first lie he has ever told Edward. Edward glared at him with silent daggers.

"I hate you..."

"Nahhh," Aron said starting to feel a little drunk but tried to make light of the awful situation he just created, "I'm your best friend."

"So when were you planning on telling me, best friend?" The way Edward said best friend threw dull knives into his heart. It was dripping with sarcasm and loathe.

"I was thinking after a few more glasses, but... I guess now would be okay too..." Aron laughed nervously and downed another gulp of wine.

...

Yes, I know, this chapter is quite small. Well, I found it on my iPod (which ought to be in a museum, it's so old) and I used it. Actually, I elongated it because in it's original form, it was barely 300 words and it was in play format with stage direction and everything (And yes, that means that this was originally written as a play). See, I've written bits of this here and there but some of it is new since I can't find a lot of my old scrap sheets and first edits. But this was basically the same except. I had to change all the lines for Aron since in the play version, his name was Charlie (and that's a bit of conflict, innit?) Let's see... what else was different... oh, yes, in the play, it was set in the 20's during Prohibition. Edward, Aron (Charlie, at the time), Cara, Hailey (who was Heidi at the time) and her twin brother, Stefan (oh, yes, Aron and Hailey were not related) were all living together in a boarding school (which certainly did not happen in the 20's). Yes... this was written back when I was not as detail-oriented as I am now. Anyway, I'm back in the UK now, in case you were wondering. And so I'll kick off my homecoming in a good way by posting bright and early for all my lovely readers. Review and enjoy! Cheers!


	15. The Agreement

Hello my lovelies, so sorry for the late post, my wifi decided to say 'you know what... I don't want to work' and tech support seemed to conquer. But I'm here now and I'm here to bring you a nice lengthy chapter! Just a quick not before I begin: I added another poll to my profile. The question is where do you think you would most likely run into a vampire? (This will help me for a future chapter) Anyway, I left it very open-ended on purpose, I want you to give me all sort of responses. Yes, of course do vote, but people like bamafan95 are sending me these long PM's giving me specific scenarios and such and I love it. For one, I adore PM's, it's a delightful thing to have a (1) next to the Inbox and I love making people think and how it is making me really think about this story. I love the reader-author involvement, it gets me quite happy. Anyway, do vote for that or PM me or review the story and tell me there, the world is your oyster here. So thanks to bamafan95 and to you readers for nothing is possible without you. Oh, one last thing, remember how I said in the very beginning that this symbol: ~~~/~~~ meant sex since I don't want to write out a sex scene because I'm not that kind of writer? Remember? Okay, just checking ;) … Please review and vote, cheers!

…

For two weeks, the new couple showed affection privately and became better friends publically. Surprisingly, it was Aron at the source of this arrangement which helped ease Edward. Edward knew what was happening, but at least he never saw anything happen. However, keeping the physical nature of their relationship private proved to be a more challenging task than Aron suspected. In the two weeks of their relationship it seemed that, almost instantaneously, Cara and Aron switched personalities. Aron, our resident playboy, was respectful and modest with Cara. Although Cara was never a nun, she began to recognize her allure. The more Aron tried to make them slow down, the more Cara tried to make them move faster. For two weeks, Aron said 'no' and pleaded with her to change her mind. For two weeks, Cara tried to convince him and when she asked why he didn't want to, he couldn't say. It took him two weeks to finally agree.

One night, a little after dessert, he said good night to everyone in the staff. He kissed Hailey's head as she fell asleep on her favorite plush armchair and pat Edward's shoulder in a brotherly fashion. Aron knew that if he got through the night, he could never look at anyone the same way, especially himself.

He walked up the stairs and into his room, closing the door behind him. She was already there, standing at the curtain, looking outside. She turned abruptly when she heard the door close and sighed relieved when she recognized Aron. Cara took a deep breath and placed her hands on her hips, feeling the light, silky fabric beneath her fingertips. She walked over to Aron's bed and sat down, patting the seat next to her. He complied and promptly began to unbutton the cuffs of his jacket with shaky hands.

"We don't have to do this now…" he dared a glance to her. She crossed her legs so the tiny nightdress ran higher up on her legs, he gulped and focused on his cuffs again, "The—there is really no rush…" Aron struggled with a button as Cara leaned her head on Aron's arm. She roped her arm around his and found his hand, squeezing it gently.

"I want to do this with you," she cooed and kissed his arm, "I trust you." She whispered. Silence. He turned to her and he kissed her.

…

She blushed as she felt his lips continue slowly up her back and his hand follow the path up her spine. He moved her hair away from the side of her neck, letting dozens of corkscrew curls flutter down to her mid back. She closed her eyes as his lips came to her shoulders and she turned her head in his direction, kissing his lips very softly, savoring every second of what she assumed to be the loss of her chastity. However, what neither of them noticed was the casual footsteps that approached the door. She opened her eyes when she felt him pull away and look behind him. She quickly brought the thin sheets to cover her bare chest, although Aron's arms did a fine enough job of that as is. Edward stood in the doorway and mumbled nonsense words. He made a small, uncomfortable sound like he'd cleared his throat and promptly left without another word. He shut the door with a hard, startling slam behind him as he walked away swiftly. Cara sat motionless on the bed as Aron pulled on pants and his unbuttoned shirt, preparing to leave the room and apologize. He pleaded for her pardon as he quickly dressed promising a speedy return.  
>"No, that's ok," she said sounding far away, "I don't think I want to do this tonight. I'm sorry."<br>He nodded understandingly and nearly sprinted out the door.  
>"Hey." Aron said quickly walking towards Edward and touching his arm. Edward recoiled sharply like it was a bite from a venomous snake.<br>"I don't want to talk to you." He said hiding his angry tears behind his copper hair.  
>"Will you listen?"<br>"No... Not to you... not now."  
>"We didn't do anything."<br>Edward scoffed.  
>"Really, nothing happened."<br>"That didn't look like 'nothing'!" He shot him a quick angry glare, "but it's no matter, you've been together for what? Two weeks? It's long overdue, frankly, I'm surprised it didn't happen in the first two hours!" He tried to walk away but Aron grabbed his arm.  
>"She's different! I can't treat her like the others."<br>"Don't you think I damn well know that?" He sighed and gave a quick wipe to his face before turning to face him in the darkness.  
>"I've never met anyone like her... she's so perfect and pure... I just feel so differently around her... I can't place it..."<br>"Don't talk to me about this, I already know! I know how perfect and amazing she is. I love her too! Don't you see how much it kills me that you do this with her?"  
>"Do something about it then." Aron grinded his teeth and gave Edward a stern look, "Make her love you..." Aron rand his fingers through his hair as he took a deep breath, "I know I'm no good for her... you and her would be perfect together." He said this in a low whisper and looked up at Edward fully serious, "Just know that girls like her can't be kept waiting around forever. Someone else will take her and they won't let you win her back." He breathed deeply, knowing that the next thing he had to say would be a serious blow, but it needed to be said, "Just know, before you get all worked up with me, that she was the one who wanted to take it that far. I've never asked her to do anything. If it were up to me, we'd just be holding hands." With this, he walked away, leaving him feeling like he'd been kicked in the chest.<p>

Edward leaned back on the hall way wall, trying to get back his strength. Edward couldn't believe that someone like Cara could've changed someone like Aron so quickly. He knew why though. It was that she was, in fact, different. Yes, you wanted her more than life itself but going deeper into your lust, you realized that you wanted to see her smile, you wanted to make her laugh, or see that twitch of her nose when she's thinking. She was someone you wanted to be around because she made you fall in love from the start. And for this reason, every guy who's ever had her has felt like they didn't deserve her. His thoughts were interrupted by the very thoughtful footsteps coming from the adjacent bedroom. Cara stood in the doorway as she held a thin silk robe across her nearly bare body, reaching just shy of her mid-thigh. Her hair was down and her face was full of apology.  
>"Hey." She attempted a smile and tightened her arms around her chest.<br>"Hey." He returned trying not to look at her.  
>"I'm so sorry... I had no idea you were awake. I just... I don't know." She sighed. He smiled. He couldn't help but smile at her.<br>"Hey..." he touched her shoulder, wanting to pull the delicate fabric away, "It's okay, really." He lifted his hand away, restraining himself. She smiled relieved and hugged him tightly. His heart beat faster as the robe came a little looser and he felt her perfect silhouette in the darkness, still, he had to control himself.  
>She pulled away and pulled tight at the robe again. "I swear to you, nothing happened."<br>"I know... I know. It's okay, don't worry about me. It's none of my business to begin with." He half smiled at her, "Just go get some rest, its late." He kissed her head gently, "I'll see you in the morning."  
>"Okay..." she smiled at Edward, not wanting to take her eyes off him, "But you know... I don't think I'm ready for all that yet. It was too much for me." She nodded a few times and smiled a little, "maybe next time." She half yawned and started walking backwards to her bedroom a few rooms away. "You know, it is so strange that he and I are dating... you could've never made me believe this would happen a few weeks ago. But it's crazy how things happen, huh?" She got to the door and creaked it open, "who knows... maybe we'll be dating soon. You just never know." She got a chill up her spine and immediately went into her room, leaving him with his mouth gaping open.<p>

Cara sat on her bed and rested her chin on her knees. She sighed, realizing that she'd just said exactly what she hoped to be true. She wanted to be with Edward, the realization flooded her mind as soon as she saw him. It wasn't that she wasn't ready for tonight, it's that even when in the arms of a human sex god, she still found herself wishing it was someone else. Cara wished she was with Edward and no one, not even the Aron that changed for her, could ever make that feeling go away.

…

Fooled, ya, didn't I? Thanks for reading!


	16. The Telegram

_It was the day the telegram arrived that I knew she couldn't be mine anymore. It was that day that my heart, or at least what was left of it after Kathleen, crumbled into pieces. But it was my job, as both her friend and lover, to be strong for her._  
><em>I remember every single minute detail of that morning. Florence was in the parlor with Violet, her baby daughter. She was playing her some stringy violin song as the smell of coffee swept through the kitchen. When I walked into the room and sat down at the window ledge, I fell into a sort of daze. I don't know if it was brought on by last night's booze or what I saw her wearing but suddenly I just had this picture in my head. A picture of committing to her. At the time, she was wearing this house dress with an apron covering her skirt so nothing will dirty her dress. For a moment I wondered if she'd wear that while making breakfast for our kids. Or while she made dinner for a few of our friends during summer parties. For a minute I had this whole life planned out with me and her together. We'd have kids and a beautiful home. We would live off the gold of my fortune and we could always be together.<em>  
><em>With any luck, our kids would look exactly like her and they would act like her too. I wouldn't want any of me to ruin them. But I would love them. I would love them until they were sick of me and leave home. But I would never leave them. I would never make the mistakes my father made with me and Hailey. And every single day I'd hug her and I'd kiss her and tell her I love her because I would. I would love her with every second of everyday.<em>  
><em>She could change me. She could turn me into the man that I want to be when I'm with her—a man who deserves her. Someone like Ed.<em>  
><em>It was only when she started whistling to a more upbeat tune that I snapped out of it. I rubbed my eyes and stared deep into the cup of coffee sitting in front of me—black with two sugars on the side of the plate and a small cup of milk. Of course she knew how I take my coffee. Nicholas, one of the older butlers took a small bundle of mail and placed it on the kitchen counter, exiting promptly through a hidden corridor behind the pantry. I grumbled something resembling "I got it" and moved to get the bundle. I looked blindly at the few letters there were and set them on the table just as she put her coffee—more milk than coffee with vanilla bean, cinnamon and a few ice cubes (she doesn't like things to be too hot)—on the counter. She grabbed one of the letters and went over to the dining area and turned on the lamp to see it better. I took a letter that had my name on it and stared dumbly at the return address. Nothing important just a friend back in Milwaukee probably just looking to come visit me and my sister. As I read through the letter, three things happened all at the same time:<em>

_First, I lifted the coffee cup up to my mouth too quickly and some hot coffee spilled on my chest._

_Second, Florence played a very long, drawn out, deep note that set a melancholy tone to the song that had just began._

_Third, a thud was heard from the next room followed by hysteric, tortured cries. _

_I wiped off the spill and ran to the room. I helped her up from the floor and wiped her tears with the cuff of my sleeve. She clung to me, barely stopping her sobs to breathe, as I stroked her hair. We hobbled over to the couch where she collapsed again, the cushions breaking her fall. I sat down with her and studied the image before me. As much as it broke my heart to see her crying, I felt like I was the center of her world. When I sat down, she immediately took hold of me like there was a magnetic force between us. She cried on my shoulder for what felt like days but it was probably just shy of an hour. I held her in my arms like a child as she rested her head on my chest, trying to catch her breath. I stroked her hair softly for a few minutes before she finally spoke.  
><em>"I have to go back home."_ She said just above a desperate whisper.  
>I sighed heavily and cupped her hand in both of mine when I noticed she still held the telegram. I gently opened her hand, smoothed out the telegram and looked at it for a moment. Her tears blurred out some words but I could still see it. It was from her doctor back in Chicago who urged her to come home because her parents caught the influenza. The very fatal and quickly spreading influenza. I folded the paper, put it in my shirt pocket and held her tighter, knowing full well that there is no pain like losing a parent. I kissed her head and began to wonder if Ed's parents would want him back as well. We all read the Sunday paper, we knew that this sickness was a death sentence and there was no way to fight it, let alone beat it. We both stayed in our own thoughts and slowly drifted to sleep.<em>

_When I woke up, she wasn't there but across the room at the doorway were two suitcases. I got up slowly and walked towards her room. She sat on a bed that was made and stared out her window. I knocked on her door softly even though it was already open.  
><em>"Oh... I'm sorry, I didn't want to wake you."_ She said a little ashamed.  
><em>"You mean you planned to leave without saying goodbye?"_ I asked trying to be lighthearted about it although a little genuine pain must've found its way to the surface.  
><em>"I was hoping I wouldn't have to."_ We sat quietly for a beat and then we looked deep in each other's eyes. I moved closer to her and embraced her. She hugged me back, tight as possible, her long nails scratching my back a little bit and sending a shiver down my spine. When we pulled apart her eyes started to well up again, this time I wouldn't let her cry.  
><em>"Hey," _I said encouragingly, _"it'll be okay."_ I put my hand on her cheek and stroked it a little, regretting my obvious lie. She gave a half smile, appreciating the effort as she held her tears back.  
><em>"Edward is coming with me... he figures he'll be closer to his parents just in case anything happens..."_ She looked back through the window, her tears starting to spill over. I gently wiped them away. She turned to me and tried to smile, _"Don't worry about me. I'll visit you for Christmas. It will be fine, I promise."_ She leaned over and kissed me quickly. I stopped her before she pulled away and pulled her back in. She held her arms around my neck and kissed me with passion and sensuality. I held her tiny face in my hands and kissed back, I knew that the moment she walked out of the front door she was no longer mine, she knew it too. As we kept kissing and I saw it again—our life flashed before my eyes in an instant: our wedding, our kids, birthdays, anniversaries, arguments, sex, our kid's kids, growing old and crippling grey next to each other—she was still so beautiful—and then it was gone. It was a life I wasn't meant to share with her. Maybe with no one. Maybe it was an unrealistic fantasy that I could never touch. I pulled away from her, pulling her into a tight hug and dying a little inside when she kissed my cheek and whispered the most terrible, gut-wrenching, despicable word in the world: goodbye._

_We got up from the hug and held hands all the way to the front door. She took her one bag in her free hand and leaned up to kiss my cheek again, for the last time. I smiled a little and opened the door for her. The sounds of the afternoon swooped in. Car motor, hedges being trimmed, chirping birds. It stunned me how the world could not stop for a second to respect this moment. I leaned down and kissed her softly hoping that she could read from that the three words I can never bring myself to say. She smiled after the kiss, like she does for every kiss.  
><em>"I'll see you when I see you."_ She said as she squeezed my hand. I squeezed back and repeated her. With an encouraging smile, she slowly ascended down the steps and to the waiting coach outside. She handed the bag to Ed and took a long look at me, leaning on the open door. She blew a kiss in my direction and went into the darkened coach, he followed, giving a sad wave and shutting the door slowly. I stared at the car going long after it left, wishing I could turn the clocks back to a few hours ago when she was mine._

…

Hailey finished brushing her hair and smoothed out the skirt of her new French mint green summer dress. She retouched her lip color so the red shade would be more vibrant than before. She took her white traveling gloves and slipped into a matching pair of kitten heels. As she walked down the steps, the only thing she pondered was whether she looked more like a sprig of holly or a scoop of mint ice with a cherry top. But when she saw her brother everything stopped.  
>He sat back to the front door, cradling his forehead with his hands. His face hid behind his knees. Hailey ran over to him and fell to the floor, embracing him. Her heel caught the fabric of her skirt and tore it slightly as she hugged him tighter.<br>"She's gone." Aron breathed as he rested his head on Hailey's shoulder, "Ed probably wants my head on a dish... And I may never see them again..." His breath was shaky as his eyes watered, "my best friend and the girl of my dreams gone," he snapped, "in one summer."  
>"Hey..." She rubbed his back as she quickly swiped away a tear of her own, "it will be okay."<br>"Will it?"  
>"Yes." Hailey looked down at him like a mother trying to console a child, "Nothing is ever really gone...you'll be together again... I know it..."<p>

...

Another beautiful day wherein I can update early, it's lovely. The reason being that I wrote this chapter well before the Prolouge. Writing later chapters when current chapters are due is a blessing and a curse. Anyway, quite quick, the _italics_ are Aron's narration. However, next week there will definitely be much more of Edward in the next chapter so more canons and less OC's (if I use fanfic terms). In Aron's narration, he never mentions Cara's name. This is to portray that he is so brokenhearted that he can't even write her name. Although it's not mentioned, its assumed that apart from Kathleen, this is the first he's cried over a woman. But, of course, little sis swoops in to save him. Possible foreshadowing? Who knows? (I do) As always, vote on the poll, read, review and enjoy my lovelies! Cheers!


	17. The Quarantine

When the shadowy car pulled up to the vaguely familiar townhouse, silver poured from the grey heavens in gaunt droplets. Edward Sr. and Elizabeth waited at the door, morbid as the fog. Edward got out of the car alone followed by Ernest who carried both suitcases and placed them on the porch. He took off his hat when he shook the hands of the parents and promptly left, almost as if sorrow was the feared contagion.

The three stood on the porch for a moment. Then the father left, followed by his wife after she gave her son a soft pat on the back. Edward stood watching the rain beat against the pavement but he saw the newly-lived scene. A month or so earlier, when they sat squished into that same car, they were so content in the arms of the other. Just now, they were miles apart, the excess space and melancholy inching each other away. He bowed his head, a prayer: for her, for him, for anyone who needed it, and he sulked inside.

The drops widened and grew heavy, their movements were volatile, their speed increased. Someone in the waiting room of the hospital shared a hushed conversation with a particularly unsympathetic doctor which ended in pained protests and teardrops as raindrops.  
>Someone with weighty boots trod up the hallway stairs to the upper unit of the townhouse and left ten minutes later. The disturbance remained unnoted by the Masens. It was not until a cautious pair of squishy footsteps shifted up the steps that the disturbance became significant. There was a small knock at the front door, immediately Edward jumped up to get it.<br>"Cara." Edward was joined by his mother behind him and his father who placed a hand tenderly on Elizabeth's shoulder.  
>"What's the matter, dear?" Elizabeth said as she opened the door wider, signifying that she was welcome inside. Cara made no move.<br>"They told me I-I could not go h-home." She quickly wiped a forming tear. Her dress clung to her legs, her hair dripped, she shook violently from chill or tears every so often.  
>"What?" Edward Sr. asked, amazed.<br>"T-They told me my parents are so sick that everything i-in my house can infect me..." She let's a few tears fall as some water fell with it, "they locked my doors." A sniffle, "I have nowhere."  
>"You have us." Edward Sr. said, voicing the family opinion, "you are welcome here."<br>"Please, sit." Elizabeth said as she walked Cara into the living room. As they walked, Edward Sr. looked over to his son and gave him the smallest hint of a smile. It was a look that said, in the least pompous way possible, 'you're welcome'. _He knew._

Later that night, Cara walked over to the kitchen as she pat her wet hair with a dry towel. She wore an old night shirt that came to her bare knees. Her feet were silent on the hardwood floor. She loved the silence. When she sat at the table and gazed out at the drowsy city, she heard something. A creak of a floorboard made her turn her head towards the entrance to the kitchen. Edward stood unmoving. They exchanged awkward, comforting half-smiles before he took a few calculated steps towards her. She too a few deep breaths as she set down the glass of water she held in her hand. She stood when he was inches from her. They remained entranced in the other's gaze and in the next moment, they held each other tight. Finally, the feeling of closeness set in. Edward stroked Cara's wet hair as he hugged her tenderly. She stood on her toes and gave his cheek a long, meaningful, sweet kiss and then pulled away. _I saw this look in her eyes. It was a look that told me that she needed me with her now. And I was not about to let her slip away from me again._ He grasped both her hands and parted his lips, as if about to speak. The words were gone before he even knew them. There shant be words. Not at a moment as beautiful as this. He touched her soft cheeks and her silky neck, he held her shoulders then her back. He held her close as she snuggled her head into the nook of his neck. _We shared a heartbeat._

…

Phew, almost missed that one. Well, this has been an eventful week. Quite a bit of work getting this chapter up. I tried desperately to find the original play version of this but it seems to have been lost in time, space, and old external hard-drives. Oh well. I think this new (haphazardly done) version is better. Since I do give little hints as a live-action author, my suggestion, is to keep in mind that the water glass is important. VERY important. Yes… that is all I am willing to say of it. Anyway, thanks so much again for voting, still a few more weeks until the final answers will be taken and I will just use the highest rated answer. The question again is "Where is the most likely place you would run into a vampire?" (or something like that). Please vote on that if you have not done so just yet, I adore your opinions as my lovely readers for you truly do mean the absolute world to me! Now, I'm hoping to do a hyper-speed chapter upload thing in the month of July…ish. I've got a big vacation coming up and more free-time+ pretty places= more inspiration. So I'm hoping to actually bang out chapters every day but, (knock on wood) we shall see. But, before I start really dragging on, I just wanted to say that the thing about Cara talking to the doctor and then crying. I wish I could make that into a short movie because I would have it where she is talking silently then she sinks down and starts screaming and crying and its silent and people walk around her like its nothing. Wouldn't that be perfect? Horrible, but perfect. Anyway, note that when they got home from Aron's house, it was late at night. That's not too important but you have the right to know. Anyway, stay tuned my lovelies! Cheers!


	18. The Upsurge

**21 August 1918**

**The days drag on slowly, unwillingly and without any signs of positivity. The doctors had yet to see a case quite like the Vivas' before. Both hung on and had slow, steady breath, yet, both were dying at a rapid pace. My poor Cara, two days of turmoil without a single shred of good news to grasp onto.**

_But it was that third night in the living room that boiled my blood just enough to break my vow of silence. _Cara sat on the edge of the couch at three in the morning. She focused on a single dot on the hard wood floor as she stroked the knit fibers of the pillow. She barely moved when Edward joined her.

"How are you?"

"Do you remember how beautiful life was when we did not worry about illness or death?" She looked at him as a half-smile melted his serious expression, "When it was just us: little, carefree children, ignorant to the world's problems?"

"Yes."

"I would give anything to go back to those times." She sighed and slumped down onto Edward's shoulder, immediately feeling a little better, "Thank you for letting me stay here." Cara breathed slowly.

"Of course." Edward said as he stroked her hair, "you know my parents love you." He smiled as he followed the path of a curly locke, "I lo—" he realized his intended statement a moment too late. There was no opportunity to censor, no chance of taking it back, he had to follow through and hope for the best, "_I_ love you." Cara cocked her head to the side and met his eyes. She pulled a corner of her mouth up in a slight smile.

"Do not." She said as she turned back, indulging herself in the feeling of his fingertips gliding down her head and her neck.

"Of course I do!" Edward challenged.

"No."

"Why, yes… I do love you."

She shook her head.

"Why not?"

"You have never told me that before." Cara said simply, "if you did love me then I would never stop hearing it." She gave him a quick, knowing look, "I've known you for some time, Edward Masen."

Edward smiled, "Trust me, had I the courage, I would have told you every second of each day."

Cara turned her body a little and looked up at him with an entertained smile, "I don't believe you."

Edward smiled and continued petting the back of her head, "I don't know what more to tell you if you don't believe."

Cara shrugged, "Well, if you really loved me it would be easy for you to prove." She gave him a playful smile at which point he took his free hand and held hers tenderly. He moved his hand down to the back of her neck and leaned into her lips. The moment seemed to drag on for both of them before their lips met. Their hearts fluttered and beat wildly. It lasted for an electrifying moment then it was stopped. Edward pulled away.

"I'm sorry…" Edward said, searching her face for a reaction, it was stony and shocked, "I-I should have known that you don't feel that way." He gulped nervously and moved to leave the couch. Cara held his arm back. They looked at each other.  
>"I never said I didn't like it." She smiled a little and snaked her arms around his waist and meeting his lips with hers once more.<p>

It was heaven.

It was bliss.

It was official.

For two days they remained in paradise, only to be disturbed by the bi-nightly morbid hospital visits. On the third day, a second visit produced a sour fruit. In the former bed of Mrs. Allegra Vivas, a local newspaper boy lay, shivering and coughing sporadically. Teary-eyed and understanding, Cara sat at the required distance from her father's bed post and wept as Mr. Desidero Vivas drifted off to an ignorant and blissful slumber.

The walk back was as chilling and disconcerting as the goodbye. Rain fell upon Cara and Edward in powerful blows, there only defense was an old black coat, used frequently by Edward's father. Beneath the inky shield, their hands never broke apart. Within the tragedy, there was an ever-present, comforting glow of love. Edward gave this to her out of a sense of long-repressed love and of his own personal goodwill. After all, the Edward we all know is a kind soul, if nothing else.

Yet, in the great city of Chicago, as well as within our own hearts, they could not escape the 'when it rains, it pours' effect for two things happened all at once.

On one side of the street, our young, wounded couple dodged puddles and rushing pedestrians. They skipped off the sidewalk and onto the street, moving quickly to avoid traffic. They took shelter under the awning of their local seamstress who closed her doors long before any sign of bad weather. Whilst still nestled in the sanctum sanctorum of the overcoat, Edward turned Cara to face him, holding one hand tight as he wrapped an arm around her waist. Cara looked up at him with teary, thankful eyes. In this moment, they hungrily shared a secret kiss.

On the opposite side of the street, up the few steps and through the main door of the townhouse, Elizabeth sat in the living room, tea in one hand, a crisp, clean book in the other. She alternated sipping and smiling as she silently rejoiced in the magic of print. She looked over to her husband with love in the armchair beside her. He read the newspaper with a furrowed brow and sophisticated reading glasses. More than once, he noticed himself having to clear an itchy throat or remove his handkerchief from his pocket and blot his forehead twice… thrice… perhaps more. He noticed his wife's loving glance and returned it suavely. When she looked away, he loosened his tie, noticing now that his hand shook for a brief moment then numbed at the knuckles. He rubbed his hand and looked over at his shiny glass resting on the coffee table. The ice cubes revealed the watered remains of a semi-mediocre scotch he recently purchased. He lifted his glass and lowered his paper. As he stood, he felt a little hazy, lifting the handkerchief once more and covering his mouth. It was not a dramatic, attention-hoarding cough, but a mere polite cough which tumble-weeded into a respectful throat-clearing cough.

A loud, rude cab driver sped past Edward and Cara, a tire dipping gruffly into a deeper-than-anticipated puddle and inflicted a downpour upon them which proved to be superior against the faulty protection of the coat. Edward and Cara separated and walked into the building just in time for the scream.

Elizabeth's tea dampened the couch as she rushed over to the limp, unconscious body of the strong, silent Edward Sr. who still held, in an extended hand, the newly blood-spattered handkerchief. Cara rushed to the telephone as Edward attempted to awaken his father: the new muse to their mourning.

...

Another late-ish update, but it's fine. I find myself looking forward to Wednesdays more and more as the plot thickens. It's brilliant. But anyway, a bunch of things happened just there. But the most important is that Cara's mother died, Edward's father is now sick and... wait for it... Cara and Edward are dating! Yeyy! I adore them together. I know that like the original books, some may prefer Cara/ Aron over Cara/ Edward (post in the reviews, you're opinion, if you will). Well, as always, remember the poll on my page, vote on that, review and I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Stay tuned for next week, cheers!


	19. The Epidemic

I'm so sorry for the late post. I was nearly about to put it off but I needed a break from my avalanche of work. Please enjoy as the plot thickens. Cheers!

...

_The night was chilling and damp. A light mist prepared the ground for the morning. I wrapped my overcoat around the both of us, secretly holding hands as we followed my mother in her meloncholy pilgramige to the all-too-familiar hospital. My mother went inside quickly and up to the stairs, we lingered at the threshold for a moment. My love, as I could now call her, wept._  
>"What is it, love?"<br>"What if your father has died... or my father... I don't want to go..." she shook her head slowly as the tears began to fall a little faster. He squeezed her hand, making him realize how tightly she' d been holding his.  
>"Then we will get through it. He kissed her hand and sandwiched it between his. Her hands were cold, as usual.<em> She pulled me onto a tight hug before we finally went in. Mother was speaking with the doctor.<em>  
>"Sir, he is my husband, I have a right to see him if I feel so inclined!"<br>"Ma'am, you were here a few hours ago. We told you once and we will tell you again, you cannot see him. He is contagious and possibly lethal. He's not even awake! Please, go home."  
><em>Our family doctor walked through the doors. He looked pale and tired but since he was almost always working nights, I never questioned it.<em>  
>"It's alright, Scott, go have dinner, I'll deal with them." He put on a stern face, but we knew he would let us see him.<br>"Good luck." He scoffed and walked off.  
>Carlisle waited a minute after the doctor disappeared around the corner. Then he reached in his pocket and produced a few cotton masks, giving one to each of them. "Please try to be quick. I don't have to tell you how dangerous it is to be here..." he gave a sad smile and walked to a back room. Elizabeth rushed off through the rows of beds, knowing exactly where to go. Edward helped Cara put on her mask, careful not to get the strings tangled in her now perfectly curled hair. He took any reasonable opportunity to touch her. They locked hands once more before descending into the rows of the dead and dying in synced steps.<p>

The pain and misery hung in the air like a heavy smoke, polluting their souls. Cara kept her eyes relatively straight ahead, trying not to look down. She knew that if she did, she would either see someone she knew, someone who was dying or someone who was already claimed by the epidemic. When she did look down, she was proven correct. She saw a man. Very plain and ordinary-looking, save his sickly pale coloring. His pillow was splattered with red, being in the later stages brought up the occasional bloody cough (though most didnt live so long). She didnt look at him for any longer than a few seconds, and in those seconds, he took his final breath, shut his eyes and he was gone. Cara suffocated Edward's hand. She was horrified and disgusted. This man was a complete stranger, yet she was the one to see his last moments. The intrusion overwhelmed her with guilt, so much so that she began to weep once more.  
>He stroked her hand as they walked along the cots, wanting so much to simply stop and kiss her, but he knew he took too much of a risk as is by holding her hand. It was very improper for young couples to show such affection, especially in times such as this. Looking ahead, Edward saw his father, surprisingly alone, but sleeping, still breathing. She stopped when she came across her own father and knelt down beside him, letting go of Edward's hand: a silent request for a moment alone. He walked over to his father and stood over him.<br>He watched his father's eyes open slightly as he grunted in pain.  
>"Father...?" Edward knelt down beside him, listening to his father breathing deeply, every inhale labored and painful.<br>"Listen to me..." his eyes closed tight, trying to talk had to be worse than just breathing. "Listen... I need you to do... something... to promise some...thing."  
>"Of course." Edward sat on his knees, trying to keep close to his father to hear him, despite the pain becoming increasingly more relevant in his kneecaps. He watched as he slowly, painfully reached over his neck and removed a long golden chain, a simple diamond ring hanging down at the end. He placed it in his hands and closed it tight, holding his fist closed.<p>

"This..." Edward Sr. squeezed Edward's closed fist, meaning the ring, "you take it... and give it... to someone... you love." Two intense, excrutiating breaths, "Someone you.. can always love..." he glanced downward, across the beds, looking at Cara's back for a moment then at me, "marry your... best friend" he coughed severly, his eyes watered, "promise me..." he trailed off, mouthing something he couldnt understand but Edward nodded anyway. A few tears fell down. He put his hand over his father's wrist, he was boiling with fever, but he refused to let go. "I... love you..." he said slowly, closing his eyes with each word.  
>"I love you too." He said quickly. His father nodded and fell asleep. A deep sleep, one of those kinds of sleeps where a man brimming with a one hundred and five point nine degree fever cannot generally awaken from. Our poor, protagonist's father—a good man, a quiet man, a respectful man, one of the few rare men of the world whom believed that the love he had for his wife and his son will conquer all—this man was no different.<br>Our dear unsuspecting Edward got up and examined the ring. He knew this ring, it was the ring his father proposed to his mother with so many years ago. His father would take it out every dinner party or social gathering, showing it off proudly. He wore it around his neck religiously. He said it reminded him of the best decision he's ever made. My father was always a romantic when it came to my mother. Seeing the ring made him smile. It gave him a glimmer of hope that everything may very well be alright. He walked over to his beloved, who stood by her father's beside. Edward wiped a tear from her cheek before kissing it. Elizabeth waited at the front for them. Her face was a rain-streaked stone. She walked in front of them with haste as they made their way back to the townhouse, she had the sudden urge to cough, although she stifled it. Her hand dug into her pocket for a tissue but she could only feel the unused cotton mask, taunting her fingertips as her throat tickled her maliciously.


	20. The Ring

Edward lined up the small objects on the arm of his couch. The pencil next to the outstretched violin string, the necklace and quill next to that. He examined the ancient artifacts of his happy childhood with Cara before looking down at the book with a heavy sigh. _I wish I never kept this. Or even so, I wish Bella hadn't stopped wearing it. For as I look down at the vacant ring, I think of Cara, purely out of a reluctance to think of Bella. This was meant for Cara. In my mind, unfortunately, it will be hers always since she was its rightful guardian for an achingly beautiful moment in time._  
>They got home late, no one was quite certain where the time went but it went. It was only another few hours before his mother rose again in a zombieesque manner and left to try to visit her husband once more. Edward never spoke to anyone about his father's last words and had no intention to. In his mind, they would not be his last words. In fact, he had a hard time believing any of it happened. It seemed to be a dream. A hauntingly beautiful dream that lingered in the corners of your memory the next day. But there was the ring. The ring which he kept in his pants pocket in a tiny velvet box he found later when he got home.<br>His mother left frightfully early in the mornings and stayed until well after dinnertime, so they developed a habit of moving to the same bed. He woke up earlier than she did and considered going back to sleep when he saw her. Her snowy knees were curled into her chest and her head rested happily on his outstretched arm. He moved a locke of hair away from her cheek, exposing a little more of her perfection. She moved a little, adjusting her hips and sliding her hands along his waist, holding him tight. His heart melted. He kissed her head and watched as her eyes slowly opened.  
>"My love." She purred and nuzzled her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes once more. He smiled at her.<br>"I love you... More than anyone else in the world, my darling," he stroked her shoulder, "absolutely anyone." His bliss lulled him to sleep. When he woke, the smell of tea and the turning of pages tingled his senses.  
>Cara sat next to him, a thick book spread against her thigh, a small teacup resting on a small table beside the bed. The bridge of her nose supported thick framed glasses.<br>"Oh..." She pulled the up on top of her head and put the book aside, "good morning."  
>He smiled at her, reached a hand to her head and guided the glasses back down her nose, "I never knew you wore those."<br>"Just in the morning. I can see much better later on."  
>"They suit you." He held her hand, "As everything does, my dear. You are always beautiful." He kissed her, the growingly familiar feeling building up once more. He wanted her, she felt the same desire. The only thing between them was the discovery of the appropriate moment. And after a few minutes of careful kisses and soft touches, they found their moment and took it.<p>

~~~/~~~

**29 August 1918,**

**She is beautiful.**  
><strong>She is pure.<strong>  
><strong>She is sweet.<strong>  
><strong>She is delightful.<strong>  
><strong>She is brilliant.<strong>  
><strong>She is holy.<strong>  
><strong>She is mine.<strong>_ The pensive nature of this statement was expressed by the dark dot proceeding it._  
><strong>I want so much for her.<strong>  
><strong>I wish I could take her away from all this horror.<strong>  
><strong>I wish<strong>

It stopped there, dark ink pressed into the curve of the 'h'.

Edward stroked Cara's bare forearm when he awoke. She breathed slowly, making the thin sheet covering her chest rise and fall in rhythmic patterns. He slowly inched away and off the bed, retrieving his pants and pulling them on before leaving the room as quietly as possible.

About a half hour ticked by before Cara stirred blissfully as she opened her eyes. Her hand fell upon Edward's empty pillow beside her, making a piece of paper topple to the mattress. She rubbed her eyes and read it.

"My darling love, Cara" she looked at it with a questioning stare as she turned it over to a blank side. She looked at the bed to a path of flower pedals and smiled as she rose from the bed, pulling Edward's shirt over her head and smoothing it out so it covered her like a dress. She walked to the door and picked up another piece of paper, "You are the best friend," through the door and halfway down the hall, "Anyone could've asked for." She smiled, walking to the end of the hall. "You are…" she opened the door to the outside and followed the pedals to the steps of the storage room, a slip of paper rested on each step. Sweet. Adorable. Captivating. Breath-taking. Magnificent. Precious. Tender. Sensual. She smiled at each one and took a note that was wedged into the door of the storage. "but most of all, you are…" She squeaked the door open. Edward promptly began playing the song he wrote for his beloved so many years ago. Cara walked down the steps, passing numerous notes that have only one word: Perfect. The room was illuminated with tall white candles that sat on the piano. Edward stopped playing when she stood before him. He took a deep breath and stood, holding her left hand.

"Cara Vivas, I love you more than anyone else in the world. And I will always love you more and more every day." His heart raced as he lowered himself to one knee. His heartbeat was audible as he reached into his pocket and pulled out the ring. He felt his mouth form the words but all he could hear was his heart race. He looked deep in her eyes, shiny with newly-formed tears. She nodded and he heard her speak that beautiful word.

"Yes."

_The ring fit perfectly on her finger. I always noticed that it was just a little too wide for Bella._

_..._

Hello to all my lovely readers! In this chapter, we start to see the beginning of Edward compare Bella and Cara. Why is this important you may ask? I think you know: Edward is making himself fall back in love with Cara based on what he wrote. Why is this a problem (besides the fact that he's already got a family) you may ask? Well, you must wait and find out. Also, this is the first chapter that they consummate their love for each other. Not to be a spoiler, but you'll see this happen quite often. Edward and Cara will have a very highly physical relationship, much like Rosalie and Emmett were described to have... except that this was only their first time so they're not quite yet all-nighters just yet. But still, it's very physical which, you guessed it, is important. Watch for it. Also, they get engaged! Yey! And yes, this is the same engagement ring that Edward received from his father with the special instruction to give it to his best friend. It's beautiful, I know, I wrote it (not to be conceited or anything). But pay close attention to the last line. It means that Edward felt that the role of his wife (which the engagement ring represents) fit perfectly for Cara and was too much for Bella. So keep that in mind as we near the ending chapters. Thanks so much for reading! Cheers!


	21. The Present

A stack of letters were placed gingerly on the kitchen counter the cloudy morning before. In an upbeat, yet groggy manner, Hailey walked over to the letters and spread them out as to read them easier. She ran a hand through her unwashed hair and leaned against the edge of the shiny counter. A name caught her eye. She pushed the other letters away and picked up a telegram written in familiar pen. She ran up stairs and down hallways into her first bedroom closet. She pushed away hundreds of dollars in beautiful dresses and pushed away still packaged hats from foreign countries. She sat on the floor with a hushed thud and read each word carefully. Edward was to marry her brother's beloved. She knew what it was going to say even before she saw the telegram. But she was restless to find out how he might go about wording it.

She put the telegram down on the floor, smoothing it out with her bare palms. Her poor brother. Can such tragedies truly occur outside of the pages of a book? She read it again and again and again, memorizing the curve of his letters and the exact shape of his dots. How was she to feel? As a mutual friend of Edward and now Cara, she was ecstatic. But her responsibilities and true allegiances ought to lean towards her brother, and in this regard, she was distraught.

She stared at her white traveling gloves on one of the lower shelves. The index finger of the right glove dangled gracefully over the edge of the shelf. They were turned in her direction. She stood and straightened the skirt of her morning robe.

"Ernest," Hailey called out from her bedroom door.

"Yes?" The appropriate voice called up from the bottom of the staircase.

"Please prepare the car for an hour from now. I have an errand to run."

"Certainly."

"Is everything okay?" Aron stood across the hall at his bedroom door. His day clothes were sleep wrinkled and mislaid on his beaten body. Even from her distance, she could make out a path on his cheek most frequented by daily and nightly salt-water travelers.

"It's fine. I'll be gone for some time. Try to eat with the other tonight." With an unconvincing nod, Hailey disappeared into the bathroom.

…

Around nightfall, Edward walked down the darkened hallway and placed a few logs of wood into the fireplace in a pyramid shape. He shivered as he lit the match to heat the air above and then dropped it in the center gape of the wood. Slowly, infantile flames cooed and nestled into the side of its rustic nurturer. Edward rubbed his palms together and held them a safe distance away, sighing in the flicker of warmth it provided. He poked at the wood just as a soft knock was heard from the door. Edward looked at the clock quizzically, doubting his mother's presence behind the door. He peered around the wall of the dining area to be sure that his bedroom door was closed before opening the front door.

"Hailey!" Edward said smiling, "what are you doing here? Come in, it's cold." Hailey strolled in and stood near the fireplace, watching the baby flames steadily grow, "sit, please."

"No, thank you, Ed, I won't be here long." She stood with an air of earnestness that was rare for the spritely girl he knew well.

"Is something wrong? It is rather late..." He didn't want to sound like he was trying to force her out although the hour was uncommon for visitors.

"I expected to be here earlier, I'm sorry. And nothing is wrong, of course. I just came to give you this." She produced a white envelope from her inky winter coat. Her took it from her smooth gloved hand and opened the seal.

"What's this?"

"Consider it to be an…" she smiled a little, her body beginning to feel tired, "early wedding present." She wrung her hands once or twice and thought for a moment. "This does; however, come with a small price." Edward looked up from the envelope and became serious.

"Small price?"

"Please consider befriending my brother once more. He misses you terribly." Edward sighed and looked down.

"Hailey…"

"Just consider… please…" Edward pursed his lips and nodded slightly, Hailey smiled a little, "thank you." She breathed and walked towards the door, holding the collar of her coat closed, "I hope I see you soon, Ed. It's too cold here."

"It is, but we'll manage." He gave a smile to his old friend.

"I've never been to your home before." Her eyes swept across the room quickly, taking in all the amenities of a normal middle-class somewhat urban townhouse, "It's quaint." She summarized, holding back harsher adjectives. He smiled and hugged her.

"Say hello to your butler." He said as he opened the front door to find Ernest standing next to the town car.

"Of course," she stepped outside and turned her head ninety degrees to the right, "give my regards to your wife." She said whimsically and continued down the steps. He watched her, assuring to himself that she got into the car and drove off soundly. When he closed the door, he smiled to himself.

Your wife.

He had not yet called her that, let alone hear someone else call her that, although it was true. She was his bride. And despite the awful hell they lived in at the moment, they created their heaven with an engagement ring. Almost as if on a cue, Cara walked in with a blanket over her shoulders. He looked at the envelope and hid it between the pillows. He still had time, he had to find the correct moment. Edward walked up to Cara, held her waist and kissed her soft, cold lips.

"I love you." He whispered.

"I love you too." She smiled. They sat next to the fire, his arms wrapped around her womb, her head on his shoulder. They watched the fire and fell asleep, happy to wake up in the arms of the other.

~~~/~~~

Very happy.

...

So just to be perfectly clear, the whole thing that happened with Hailey happened the morning before the proposal (can you imagine how awkward it would be if Cara had said no?). Anyway, Hailey is adorable. She's our little blonde Alice of this story. Although less... well... annoying? So sorry, that's the only way I can think of her. The bare palms as opposed to the gloved hands are important imagery, not sure if I want to tell you why just yet but, for now, just know it to be important. Also in the realm of imagery, note the baby imagery with the fire. It's quite a clever literary tool, imagery. I'm rather fond of it. Hope you enjoy, cheers!


	22. The Endgame

"When can we leave?"

"The train leaves in three days at six at night." Edward said as he unfolded a note in the envelope. "_'After leaving Grand Central, a driver named Marcus will bring you to an apartment we own. Please stay there as long as you like so you can find a beautiful home to start your life together.'_" He smiled, "I think we should go."

"But," she struggled for a rebuttal, "What of your mother?"

"She isn't here anymore, my love… She surrounds herself with disease and death… she won't be here for long…" a sigh, "I don't want you to be here anymore. I want us to begin our marriage properly, without having to wake up everyday wondering who we'll lose that day…" A breath, "I couldn't imagine losing you…"

"You won't lose me, darling. I'll always be with you." She smiled, "I do love New York."

"You get to be closer to your sister." He stroked her hair and gave her the envelope.

"I do have family still there." She smiled at him and nodded, "I'd love to!" He embraced her and kissed her cheek repeatedly.

"I love you so much my beautiful wife."

"I love you too my sweet husband."

They kissed lovingly and were only interrupted by the mail slot opening abruptly and paper free-falling to the floor. They glared at it like an unwelcome guest and Edward slowly moved to collect the pile of mail.

Among a few inane notices and one letter that was addressed to the building of the same number a three streets down, the morning paper came along with a fresh wave of melancholy in the form of the daily casualties section. After skimming the list quickly (attempting to rip the Band-Aid off as painlessly as possible), they found two unfortunate names: Edward Anthony Masen Sr. and Desidero Vivas (not near each other, of course). They then took a minute to set up the room for mourning. In a swift arm movement, Edward suffocated the afternoon light with muddy curtains and Cara asphyxiated the music with a lift of her finger and the candles of celebration and engagement morphed into those of death and sorrow. They sat together quietly and wept before drifting to a dark rest.

They awoke within seconds of each other and gave a weak smile. Edward kissed her head and rose from the ashen cushions, drawing the curtains away from the window. The night was as dark as their mood. Edward sighed and thought for a moment.

"What time is it?"

"Umm…" Cara rubbed her eyes and peered at the corner of the room at the standing clock, "One… nearly one thirty… wh—" A look of fear and angst crossed their eyes as the same moment.

"My mother." Edward said as Cara covered her mouth in shock.

They powered through the doors of the hospital, droplets of late rain running down their unbuttoned coats. Cara coughed discreetly a few times on the way and regained composure before speaking with the doctor.

"Has Elizabeth Masen been here today?" Cara asked.

"Visiting hours are well over, ma'am." A short receptionist snorted without looking up from her paperwork.

"Miss, please, I'm looking for my mother, has she been here today?"

"Please, sir, come again during—"

"Velma," a silky voice said sternly from Edward's side, the woman's head snapped up.

"Yes, Doctor Cullen?" she said batting eyelashes and leaning towards him as the lime blossoms lean towards the sun.

"I'll take it from here." Carlisle put a hand on Edward's shoulder, leading him towards the Purgatory on Earth.

"Doctor Cullen… My mother has been here for days, trying to see my father. But now he is gone and she has not come home."

"Edward…" Carlisle sucked in a breath, unsure of how to say it, "I have seen your mother. She began to cough violently and nearly fainted, we had no choice but to hold her here."

"How is she?" Cara asked softly, beginning to stroke Edward's back comfortingly.

"She is strong, we're doing all that we can." Carlisle looked at Edward with meaning, "_I_ am doing everything possible." Edward nodded absent-mindedly.

"W-Where is she?"

They walked over to her. Somehow, they both found themselves producing more tears than before. Elizabeth slept, unconscious of the tears being shed on her bed.

When they returned home, they seemed more tired than before, but this time, neither was prepared for sleep. Cara felt that as Edward's fiancé and best friend, she had to try to comfort him. As the door closed, Cara immediately took his hands and kissed him with as much love and warmth as she could muster. He reciprocated, reluctantly at first, and eased. She pulled away and hugged him tightly, looking around them for some distraction, it presented itself.

"I didn't know you knew how to play chess." Cara said softly after a few more delicate kisses. He smiled a little.

"Learning. My father and I have been playing that game since I was seven." He sighed, "I suppose it will always be a draw." He looked down at the floor. She lifted his chin and kissed him softly.

"Maybe not." Cara walked over to the bookshelf it rested on and took it to the coffee table, "It's nearly in the endgame, we should finish." She sat at one side with hopeful eyes, he sat with her and within a few moves they stopped playing a game of strategy and played a game of lust.

~~~/~~~

Late that night, Cara stirred on the living room floor. They'd created a makeshift bed near the fireplace to keep warm. The infantile flames weakened and perished, darkening the room. She shivered and held the blanket closer to her bare chest. She opened her eyes slowly and coughed.

Once.

Twice.

A drop of blood on her wrist.

A tear in her right eye.

On the third cough, the next breath never came.

She struggled for a moment before nervously shaking Edward's arm.

"E-Ed-Edward… Edward!" she took laboured breaths as Edward was shaken out of a deserved slumber.

"W-What?" He turned and looked at her. She stopped talking and held her throat with one hand, the other clutched at his arm, "Cara, what's the matter?" He touched her cheeks, they burned with the same red intensity of its colour. He looked at her with feral eyes, "Cara!" he shook her shoulders a little.

"I…" another laboured breath, "can't breathe…" her eyes slowly closed and she fell faint. He caught her in his arms, screaming now.  
>"Cara! CARA!" he breathed swiftly, picking her up—as all husbands do with their brides—and ran from the townhouse towards the hospital. The white queen fell with the slam of the door.<p>

...

Exciting things happening as this delightful story of ours progresses. First and foremost, I'd like to say that I have been including little tidbits of 'three' imagery here and there. You will notice that increase tenfold in the coming chapters. Its quite important because... well... no, I'll leave it, I wont tell you just yet, I'll let all my literary scholar readers out there guess. Anyway, more baby-fire imagery, no, Cara will not throw a baby in the fire, that's not the kind of story this is, it's much more complex. You should know that for many centuries, the game of chess has been known as a game for young couples, generally engaged or in love. Its a courting game, truly. I've played it which is why I can't imagine how it would be romantic, but I suppose if you are as hot for each other as our protagonists are then anything will really get you in the mood. Also, endgame is the final stage of chess. Its the point where the winner is clear and a checkmate is just round the corner. It's also a bit creepy. For me, it makes me think of the minutes before heading to the gallows and such, its very fear-provoking. Please read on my lovelies, cheers!


	23. The Water

After a restless sleep, Edward rose before the hopeful sun showed its face. He pulled on the same trousers from the day before and buttoned his shirt on all the wrong buttons. His hair was uncombed and unwashed. He jumped as the forgotten tea kettle burst into loud, demanding cries. He sipped it at the dining room table with shaky hands._ I could barely stand to be in that room—in that house. I was alone in a building once fit for two families who loved each other. My pain was worse than my mother's. She still had us. Me? I was alone._

Edward learned from his mother's mistakes and from his own—he didn't bother to speak to the person manning the desk—he went directly to Carlisle who gave him a cotton mask and a pat on the back. Thankfully, she was awake.

"My love." She said weakly. He sat in a folding chair beside her. She propped herself up on her elbows and leaned against the pillow, "I've missed you."

"I've missed you too, my darling. You look… better." The strangest thing was, she did. Her cheeks regained their natural colour and her breath seemed somewhat normal. _It looked as if my wife, my dearest Cara had beaten the unbeatable disease._

"Thank you. A few doctors have said the same." She smiled_—Influenza, you despicable temptress of Death, you could never steal away my beautiful wife's gracious smile,_ "who knows? I may be home soon."

"Of course, my love, of course." He smiled at her with love and a glimmer of hope, "But for now, you should rest, baby." She gave a weak laugh and settled into her pillow.

"Did you pack your things?" she asked with a sparkle in her eyes.

"Not just yet, my dear." He smiled at her, "I wanted to wait until you were by my side." She shook her head slowly.

"You should. In two days we'll go. Far, far—" she coughed, "far from here." A small smile as she secretly wiped the blood on her hygienic frock.

"We will, Cara, we will."

He left a few hours later, promising a hasty return (a man cannot survive the morning on a cup of tea alone). With his departure, Carlisle walked to Cara's bed.

"Doctor Cullen, I feel awful." She admitted quietly, "Am I dying?" He was silent for a period then gave her a paper cup.

"Drink this…" she held it with a shaky, dried-blood spattered hand, "You are young, Cara. There should be no reason as to why you can't fight this. The biggest targets are usually the elderly, children and pregnant women." There was a pause. A drink. It was bitter.

"People my age have been dying… I've seen the papers…" Another sip.

"Yes… it's more common than previously believed."

"Is there any way to determine pregnancy?" she asked softly. A flash of pain across his face.

"How—" he cleared his throat, "how far along would you be?"

"A week or so at most…" He gave her a strange look, "I feel something. Something different… I think I'm at higher risk than you think…"

"Well... There is really no way to test so early. What do you feel?"

"It's just different... It's difficult to explain." She looked up at him as he took her arm to feel her pulse, "I'm afraid."

There was a long pause. She felt every heartbeat he counted.

"I will do everything I possibly can to help you." She nodded slowly and looked down.

She fell asleep soon after.

Let the reader take note, had Carlisle been the sole caretaker of this story's heroine, she would've made history. The couple would have walked proudly arm in arm down to the train station to begin their new lives. At some point, they would forget about their pain and misery of 1918 and live happily and quietly. A doctor. A father. A writer. A mother. A healthy child. A loving family. But this is not the case.

There was a small window between Carlisle's promise and Edward's return in which Cara slept soundly. In this time, an under rested, underqualified, shaky doctor walked along Cara's row of cots. In every patient, he injected into their arm a weakened sedative to help them rest. But an unfortunate lack of judgment and awareness occurred. A short, Spanish girl of seventeen lay in the cot next to Cara. The former, already at the height of her aliment, had slipped away into the depths of no return a few hours before. Unnoticed and unaccounted for. The doctor—who was later found drowned in a porcelain prison—noticed this after the syringe was already an inch in her arm, took it out and put it in his pocket.

She looked young.

They all did.

It was terrifying.

He walked over to Cara's bed and, with a huge lapse in judgment, he took the sinister sedative from his pocket and gave the leftover dose to the patient before him. He became cognizant only after reusing the same needle twelve or so times after. Within a time, Cara's health began its inevitable decline and with its journey, enter our dearest Edward to view the downfall in its entirety.

For hours, they were together, whether she was awake or not, and he noticed the change. She coughed more than normal, her breath was laboured and short, her beautiful dark olive skin paled. She weakened. Whenever she fell asleep, Edward took note of every single breath—with every exhale he feared for her death, with every inhale he felt hope. At some point, Doctor Cullen returned with another paper cup.

"What happened?" Edward asked, finally vocalizing his inner conflicts and nearly breaking down by the weight of them, "She seemed alright earlier." He shook his head, "It was nothing like this."

"I know…" Carlisle sighed and looked down at Cara, taking her pulse, "I cannot explain it." He looked at Edward like a father might a son, "I'm doing everything humanly possible to help her. Truly, Edward." Edward nodded. Carlisle turned to Cara, putting a hand on her shoulder. She stirred under his touch and looked up with tired eyes, "Drink this." He urged gently. She nodded and put her lips to the slightly bitter water and drank in small sips before coughing a little and moving her head to the side.

"What is that?" Edward asked.

"A mixture of water and wine vinegar," he put the cup on the medicine table beside her cot, "Usually, it helps."

"Usually?"

Carlisle left to round up a few common vitamins to help with her symptoms. After a few sleepy breaths, Cara awoke, looking at Edward with a small smile.

"Edward?"

"Cara! My love! How are you?"

"Would you be terribly upset with me if I didn't come to New York with you?" Her voice was far off and after a moment, she wasn't looking at him anymore. Rather through him, just like on the day they first saw each other.

"What do you mean?"

"I am dying, my darling." She sighed, focusing on him again, eyes becoming moist, "I am dying, and there is no way to stop it…" she sniffled and coughed.

"My baby, that's not true… you will get better." Edward's eyes started to water, he touched her outstretched hand. It was boiling hot.

"No…" she shook her head, shaking a tear down her cheek, "No, I won't…" She tried a smile, "But I love you. I know I love you." She took a deep breath, her face contorted in pain. A knife seemed to go through Edward's chilled heart, "It's such a shame though." She was serious, her eyes rained rapid tears. Edward placed a hand on her scolding cheek to catch her tears, she exhaled in delight and kissed his palm, "It's such a shame," she tried again, "you would've been such an amazing father."

The world stopped.

They looked at each other with the utmost sternness. She placed a weak and aching arm over her fragile womb as confirmation. Slowly, with each laboured breath, she drifted back to sleep. As Edward looked at his wife, half dead, on the cot, he swore he heard his heart beating. He heard it when he stood up, peeling away his cotton protector, and kissed his bride with as much love and passion as he planned to pour on her everyday for the rest of his life. He heard it when he put a hand on her accompanied belly and kissed that as well. The son he would never meet. He heard it when he stood next to her, contaminated healing water in hand.

A heartbeat. A gulp. A cough. A tear.

Eighteen steady sounds from the street clock.

And thus, the downfall truly begins.

...

This chapter, and particularly the scene where he drank the water, was the inspiration that drove me to write this story. I thought it was very Romeo and Juliet, as most romances often are. Anyway, a few bits of information about this: the water, first, is a mixture of wine vinegar and water. Any avid bible-reader will tell you that that is the mixture that Jesus drank whilst on the cross. Is it a coincidence that I am referencing the suffering of an innocent man to the suffering of Cara? Hmm... not sure (wink wink). Anyway, this is important, be mindful. You know now that our poor Cara is pregnant. Is this particularly important? I'm not sure. But I feel like its important in terms of pushing Edward off the deep end enough to lose all hope and want to contaminate himself as well by sharing her "healing" water (see what happened there?) and basically killing himself. Now, for those who read this and go, "oh, it's all just faffing, there's no way you can kill yourself that way" I say you're wrong! The Spanish Influenza was a highly contagious disease and the symptoms alone were enough to kill you. People at the peak of health were dying within hours of exposure to a carrier of the disease, so yes, you can actually die. Anyway, hope you enjoyed it, please don't forget to review! Cheers!


	24. The Dream

_Everything else was very much a blur. Upon my arrival home, I found an old tube of sleeping pills and took a few of those. And when that didn't work, I sat on our bench on the roof and drank a few glasses of wine to wash down the pills. Finally, in my drunken stupor, I was able to distinguish a feeling of lightheadedness overwhelmed by a drowsy feeling. I remember collecting some money and putting on my hat. I remember looking back at the edge of the roof and seeing me and Cara as children. She wore a normal house dress and very meticulously pinned up hair. I then looked at the bench and saw us there as well, young and happy. When I walked down to the streets, I saw us at the corner, sharing a quick, discreet kiss. I saw us taking a walk down to the court park. I saw us in the window of the bookstore, silently reading as I stole a few loving glances her way. In every age and every place, I saw us there together. We were in cars, on the streets, in every shop we've ever been. When the world began to go dark, I swear I saw an adult version of us, leaning over me in concern. I woke up to the familiar, soothing sounds of our family doctor, taking care of my family._

"I see you're alive, after all, Edward." Carlisle said jokingly. Edward wiped his forehead and stood. The hospital room was small and had small storks painted on the white walls in a straight row. He looked down and found himself to be wearing a white shirt and white trousers.

"What happened?"

"You fainted when Cara started to go into labour."

"Labour?"

"Doctor Cullen says it was a short one so it's okay that you missed it." Cara said stroking his hand. He looked down at her. _Besides the fact that her hair caked with sweat and her face a little red from exhaustion, she was the picture of health._

"A lot of fathers will faint. This is why the women are in charge of the delivery." Carlisle said playfully with his back turned. Edward took his place beside Cara and held her hand, kissing it gently, "Well, Cara, Edward. You have a beautiful, healthy baby boy." He smiled happily as he wrapped the baby and handed him to a stunned Edward.

"Cara… he looks just like you." Edward looked at his son with pure joy, examining his hands and feet to be sure he has the right amount of fingers and toes.

"But he has your eyes." Cara said, smiling as she looked at her child, "Wow…"

"Wow is right. Seven and a half pounds, eighteen inches on the nose." He turned his back to them, turning the water on. "Have you thought of what to name him?" Carlisle asked as he cleaned his hands in the sink.

"I have," Cara said sleepily, "I've thought a lot of how much you've helped us, not only this past year but throughout both our lives." She paused as Edward gently handed her the baby. She gasped in amazement, wrapping the blanket a little closer to him. "I wanted to meet him first, but I was pretty sure of my decision..." she looked down at the baby, then up at Edward, then at Carlisle, "We are so grateful to you and we've always respected and loved you so much." She took a breath and looked at the baby again. "We will call him Carlisle. And every time we see him, we'll think of you and what you've done for us."

Carlisle looked from Cara to Edward, a smile slowly creeping onto his face. He laughed shortly, amazed, holding back a tear, "thank you... so much."

"It's a perfect name, my darling." Edward smiled as he kissed his son's head, "Carlisle." He smiled and walked over to his doctor and hugged him in an appreciative, masculine way.

_This is the clearest memory I have of 1918… But then, I woke up on a cot, in pain and without my beautiful family. Next to me was a paper cup, half empty. The pain and heat was too unbearable to reach for it. I heard a scream somewhere in the distance that sounded like my Cara but before I could weakly protest I heard a scream of my own and a searing pain shot through my bloodstream. _

_I never realized how much I lost until that moment._

...

I added this chapter to highlight a little known symptom of this disease which was hallucinations. Often, patients who were alive long enough to give accounts of their experience spoke of strange occurrences where they saw family members who were dead or would talk to people who were not present at the time. It was a heart-wrenching time in the world when the Influenza happened and I don't believe that Stephanie Meyers really touched on that. Anyway, the seven point five pounds, eighteen inches thing, that is the exact measurements of a perfectly healthy baby with five fingers on each hand and five toes on each foot. And of course, Carlisle comes to their rescue and delivers their baby (although its all a dream). There's white imagery for purity and happiness, I also wanted the reader to picture this glow about everyone's face-a real haven atmosphere, eh? Hope you enjoyed it, cheers!


	25. The Inferno

Well, we are starting to wind down in terms of chapters in part one. Just two more after this before getting to part two. But, let's not get ahead of ourselves, let's take it slow and let me explain this format: as always, the _italicized_ writing means Edward is speaking and the normal-style writing, in this case, is for Cara's narration. In the case of **_bold italics_**, this informs you that they are speaking together (I wish this could be read in the form of a poem... it would be so beautiful and haunting, if I do say so myself). This is from their point of view during the days of the change where they are cognizant to nothing other than their pain. It is important to note that since Cara was the first to be bitten, Carlisle took much more blood from her, making her weaker than Edward and feel more pain. Although they're both basically on the same page. And of course the word pain will substitute for the sound of a heartbeat and the ending dots mean their hearts have stopped. It will all make sense soon. Be sure to comment my lovelies!

...

It was fire.

It had to be fire.

I felt the flames burn my body.

It happened so quickly that my life didn't even have the time to flash before me.

_My mind burned._

_The fire seeped into every fiber of my natural being._

_It clung to my organs and ran through my veins,_

_Boiling my blood._

The flames burned unapologetically,

For days.

It crippled me and broke me—

As it healed me and strengthened me.

**_There is no way to explain the hurt and power I felt._**

_It was torture._

It was empowering.

_I was invincible._

I was broken.

_Somewhere far off, there was a scream that chilled me to my very core._

I knew it was my scream,

But could not recognize it.

_The fire made me suffer,_

_But it was the screams that killed me._

As I lay in bed, every breath…

**_Every heartbeat was pain._**

Pain. _Pain._ Pain. _Pain._

_I knew she was dying._

Pain, _pain,_ pain, _pain._

And he could not be saved.

Pain…_ Pain…_ Pain… _Pain…_

_With every slow heart beat,_

Pain… _Pain…_ Pain… _Pain..._

I felt a glimmer of hope.

Pain…

**_If…_**

_Pain…_

**_When I perish,_**

Pain.

_I know she will be there._

_Pain._

And finally,

Pain.

**_We will be together._**

**_Pain…_**

But for right now,

Pain…

_There was just pain._

_Pain…_

Pain.

_Pain._

Pain.

**_Pain._**

_**…**_


	26. The Room

When Cara woke, Carlisle was next to her in a dining room chair. A small notebook sat on his knee as he scribbled quickly. When she stirred, he looked up at her.

"Cara…" he stood and looked her over, "How are you?" he put a hand on her forehead, he didn't feel cold anymore.

"Good… Really good." She looked around wildly as Carlisle took down more notes, "Where am I?" At a quick first glance, she could've sworn it was her bedroom. The sheets she sat on were hers, her bookcases and books were arranged in the same order and even her clothes, which peaked out from the closet, were arranged in the same order she remembered them in. Although the room itself was different. It the walls were white and the dimensions were larger. She sprang up to her feet, "Where am I?" she repeated, growing in concern.

"Cara, please sit." She did but fidgeted. Her senses were on an ineffable high. She was strong and afraid. She heard footsteps and voices all around her, she looked around for the source.

"What is that?" She looked at Carlisle wildly, "What is going on?"

"When you were dying… in the hospital, I acted in a very quick decision and now, you are alive." Carlisle chose his words with care, not trying to give away anything too quickly. But soon enough, he told her.

"But…" she put a hand on her stomach, eyes beginning to water, "what about…?"

"I can't say." He turned his notebook to her, she skimmed the well-organized—although still scatter-brained—notes, "This is all new to me."

**4 Sept. 2:03 in morning- Patient is bitten**

**4 Sept. 5:57 in morning- Patient experiences heart failure**

**4 Sept. 8:30 in morning- Patient writhes in pain.**

**5 Sept. 11:21 at night- Patient has frequent violent outburst.**

**5 Sept. 2:10 in morning- ****Patient reacts well to natural pain-killer (turmeric extract). **The was crossed out several times.

**5 Sept. 2:12 in morning- Patient does not react well to natural pain-killers.**

**6 Sept. 5:30 in evening- Patient seizes.**

**6 Sept. 8:03 in morning- Patient calms.**

**6 Sept. 11:12 in midday- Patient awakens.**

Carlisle watched her face and remembered his purpose, "Wait here," he told her with confidence before getting up to leave the room. Cara sat cross-legged on the bed, hyper aware of everything. She walked over to her closet and put on the first dress she saw. She ran a comb through her hair and put an old pair of shoes on her feet. Her mirror was nowhere to be found. She looked down at her hand and saw the ring. She smiled at it, remembering her husband. But as she took it off to examine it, she smelled the tiny fragments of blood she left while on that godforsaken cot. She slammed it down on the bookshelf and ran to the bed, smothering her face in a pillow. The tears flowed like a river.

Carlisle walked out of Cara's room and down the stairs. He thought of that awful night just a few days ago. He remembered the chilling events with accuracy. First, he walked over to Cara's cot, checking the water in her paper cup. Her breath was shallow and he could almost feel the heat of her body radiating onto him. He felt a slight tug at his lab coat.

"Wh… E…" Cara's words disappeared in lack of breath but she formed the shape of them easily enough: Where is Edward?

"We checked him in a few hours ago." Carlisle said with sympathetic eyes, "We are looking after him with the best care possible." He placed a cold towel on her head which sent a chill throughout her body.

"No…n…" she shook her head slowly, wincing in pain, "No…"

"I'm so sorry…" He hated this part of his job.

After caring for the silently hysterical Cara, he noticed a stir in a bed a few rows down. It was Elizabeth Masen. Her face was spattered with coughed blood and her eyes were sunken in. He barely recognized her. But when she saw Carlisle, the same was not true. Her eyes lit with recognition as she mustered all her strength and grabbed a handful of Carlisle's lab coat. He was astonished by this and leaned in closer.

"You make sure…" a pained breath, "you do everything you can to save my son." A tear ran down her red hot cheek, "Everything." She put emphasis on the word. Undoubtedly, she knew. Carlisle worried for a moment after she released his coat and then it was gone. Elizabeth Masen took a deep, calm relaxed breath before settling into the unfamiliar cot and exhaling the breath of life. He took her advice and after pulling the white sheet over her, promptly moved to Edward's bed. He lay there, dazed and unaware of everything, a fire burning underneath his skin. He didn't say anything at all but he just slept, face contorting as he breathed. He suffered. They all were. But he had a mission to save Edward and he wouldn't go back on his word.

Carlisle opened the door to a spare room on the lower level. Inside was the exact furnishings and placement of Edward's old room, complete with the owner himself, lying half-conscious on the bed.

"Edward, please come with me." Edward rose and in an (human) instant, he was next to his creator.

"You have yet to answer my questions."

"I thought it better to show you rather than tell you."

"Alright."

They ascended up the long staircase, with each step, Edward felt nerves building. His senses were keen and he was growing more and more able to distinguish the scents he picked up on. He smelled a rose-cinnamon extract that Cara used in her bathwater. He smelled the soap that she washed all her dresses in. He felt her here. As Carlisle opened the door, the scents and essence of Cara flooded over Edward, but with one very large piece of the puzzle vacant.

"What is this?" Edward said angrily as he walked into Cara's vacant and relocated room.

"I…" Carlisle started as he looked around wildly.

"What are you trying to do?" Edward had fire in his eyes as he picked up Cara's pillow, "What tears are these? What game is this?" The window let in a small midday breeze. Carlisle tried to determine whether or not it was already open before he left.

"Edward—please!"

"No! I don't know what joke this is but it's not funny!"

"But she's here, she has to be! Cara is alive!"

"Don't ever say her name again…" He pointed an accusatory finger at his once beloved family doctor, "She's dead…" his voice cracked slightly at the word dead, "And you killed her…" with that he stormed out of the room. As the door slammed shut, the crunch of early grounded leaves crunched under Cara's moving feet. She was unsure of how far she walked since it was almost all through back roads and thick forests, shielding the sun from her immortal skin. She would've kept walking had it not been for a particularly glassy lake.

"Oh my…" She examined her silky red-black hair and her glowing face. She walked a little taller and her eyes shone in a color she couldn't quite distinguish in the darkness.

"Strange, no?"

Cara jumped at the sound and wildly looked around. She saw no one and only heard a faint dark chuckle deep in the forest.

"Who are you?" Nothing, "Whoever you are, just go away, you don't know what I'm capable of!"

"I think I might."

She jumped down from a tree and in front of Cara. Her light brown hair was strikingly beautiful in shiny waves. Her clothes were beautiful in its simplicity and her eyes were a piercing red. Her name was Chelsea and there could not be a better friend for our newborn Cara than she was.

...

If anyone remembers the poll that I referred to earlier, with the question of where you would most likely meet a vampire, well, the majority of people voted a thick forest. And viola! they met in a thick forest. So besides that, there is a big bit of three imagery with Carlisle's notes and as I've been saying, pay attention too it! We also get Carlisle's perspective on the whole changing ordeal. I thought it was always strange that Elizabeth Masen said that to Carlisle but can't explain it much (anyone else sense a mini-story coming from this? Just me? Okay...) And, of course, we meet Chelsea. Now, Chelsea is just barely a part of the series (I believe she only gets a one line description in the book) and for those who didn't know who she is, she's a part of the Volturi guard (hence, her small part). And she will become Cara's best friend and help her along this very strange transition as friends often do. I hope you enjoyed this, please stay tuned for the final chapter of this part and be sure to post comments and such. Cheers!


	27. The Book

For days, both Edward and Cara mourned over the belief that the other was dead. However, both had another person from which to conceal any doleful emotion. Each had carved out a portion of the day to be separate, alone and depressed.

Cara waited until Chelsea left to hunt. She sat upon the gray rocks of the forest and wept for lack of any remembrance of her beloved. She wished she kept her ring. She wanted so much to keep the symbol of their love for each other. But she did not. And could not go back.

Edward encountered the exact opposite pain when Carlisle left him to go to the hospital. He found that he had too many things of hers. The room Carlisle set up for her had become a monument for all that Edward lost. In the pale gray light of twilight, he sat on her bed and wept. Each time he opened his eyes, he felt an overwhelming surge of fresh pain, fueling fresh tears. However, unlike Cara, his companion suspected such pain, and in doing so, attempted to alleviate it as all doctors are sworn to do. Carlisle waited for those rare times when Edward would go from the house, to take walks or go hunting, and then Carlisle went into Cara's desolate room. He was unsure of his decisions but he was sure of this. He took a few of her things and put them into a box. He took this box and walked with it into a spare room. An attic, really. It was empty, apart from a few cases he kept of his old medical tools and some dust bunnies. He found an old dining table and slid the box there gently.

He repeated this process regularly. Edward, afraid of his emotions, said nothing, but took action. He took momentous of her each time he left her room. He took her engagement ring, although he was unable to find the box it was kept in. He found a black feather quill he'd given her for her birthday, the beautiful green feather that graced the front center was still in pristine condition. He found a violin string and then twisted it around his finger, securing it with twine. He found Cara's glass necklace, the only remnants of her burned sister still encased within. He found a small, worn pencil that never kept still. On his final trip, he recovered a copy of Dubliners, original copy, it may have even been signed. When he picked this up, a small slip of paper fell to the ground unbeknownst to our love drunk Edward, yet, it did not pass the attention of Carlisle.

The doctor walked into the replica of his former patient's room. It was nearly empty. Only a few books remained along with a few of her more delicate clothing that he preferred to not touch, although he knew he had to at some point. At the time of his entrance, he spied a small slip of paper that read only a few words written in small, spiked letters, **Remember the mattress**. Carlisle knit his eyebrows together and reread the reminder and turned it over to find no further explanation.

**Remember the mattress**

He walked over to the mattress, now barren and undisturbed, and studied it. Nothing. He wasn't even sure of what he was looking for. He looked at it at eye level. Curious. A rectangular, tumorous lump lay on the very end of the bed. He walked over to it and felt it, solid and hidden only by the first layer of mattress. Carlisle looked on the side of the bed and undid the hastily made stitches before reaching in and pulling out a semi large desk journal. The book was completely blank apart from the first page dated from a few days ago. Even more curious, considering the quarantine. He looked down at the note and read it silently.

**My dearest love,**

**For nearly ten long and beautiful years together, we have known each other as friends. And I will forever cherish those memories. But now, we are not simply friends, my dear, you have proposed to me. Which I will always remember to be the happiest day of my life. So, to celebrate our marriage together, I give you another journal this year. However, this is much more special than normal. This, my love, you will fill with the anecdotes of our married life. I am so excited to be engaged to you and cannot wait to marry you and spend the rest of my life with you.**

**I'll love you forever**

**Your adoring fiancé,**

**Cara**

Carlisle felt a wave of guilt run over him in an instant. He knew that this predicament was his fault, although he never felt every emotion of it until now. He kneeled down and cried, begging for forgiveness and guidance from a God who'd turned his back on him long before this moment.

He left the diary on the floor and disappeared for a moment, returning with a silver tray and a book of matches. He kneeled once more and struck a match on the bottom of his shoe. And ripped out the page. Tears ran down his face as he held the match beneath the paper.

"I am so sorry... So sorry." The first word to burn was forever then the word fiancé, "I cannot keep hurting him. He is like my son." More tears, more words. Soon, he could rest it on the dish without having to babysit it. The note turned to ash. The ash was thrown out a window just as it began to rain. Perhaps God looked down on him in pity after all.

After this, the room was emptied, the items clogged the attic and the door to Cara's former room was sealed off entirely, only to become another coat closet. This forced Edward to make an effort and push all thoughts of Cara from his mind. This worked for some time, even throughout the transition of Esme coming to live with them. However, it did not work one particular day of hunting, our heartbroken Edward saw someone. Or maybe someone who looked like someone else. No. This was him. The blonde hair, the suave movements, the sleek clothing. It could be no one else. Seeing this familiar figure fueled the need for both human blood and a search for Cara. Thus, in 1926, Edward began his lustful double search.

"I want to show you something." Chelsea said calmly while looking through her closet six years before Edward's search began.

"Another dress I should wear that was certainly made for flappers?" Cara smiled.

"No." Chelsea produced a weighty book from the top shelf and handed it to Cara, "I haven't been completely honest with you. I am here for a very specific purpose."

Cara opened the book and immediately closed it, "What is this?" She asked disgusted.

"Recruits." Chelsea breathed. Cara reopened the book and looked upon the gruesome images before her. Photograph upon photograph of men and women alike. Generally between the ages of thirteen and twenty seven. They screamed in pain as blood poured from a huge gash on their neck. Some seemed to be in their homes, others on the street. One picture sent shivers down her spine. It was of a brother and sister. Blonde. Rich. Familiar. Suffering.

"Recruits for what?"

"Well that's the very best part." She sat next to her and held Cara's shoulders, "I guard the most powerful coven of vampires in the world. They treat us like family and train us to be as powerful as we can be." A pause, "I came here to turn people and check on them after they have become stable. But I'm done here. I'm going back home. I would like you to come with me... You will live lavishly and they will encourage any ability you develop. We will care for you. You will always be well fed although you will never have to hunt. You will forget about by your past."

She wasn't ready to forget.

She wasn't ready to be alone.

After a packed trunk and the slow close of a door, she was completely alone for the first time in her life.

"I will see you again. You will want to be with us. The offer is always in affect." This was a threat hidden under a seemingly warm offer.

...

Well, hello, my lovely readers. This, as you know, marks the end of Part 1. Isn't it amazing. I cannot believe we're already twenty-seven chapters in. It seems as though it was only yesterday when I dug out the courage to gather these ideas for this crazy story of mine on paper. I'm so grateful for all of you who take the time to read it and to PM me and follow and favourite and to RetroReaction for always commenting. It's so great, I couldn't ask for anything better. Anyway, before I get misty-eyed. I'd like to note that despite the quarantine, Cara was able to jimmy the lock on the window and sneak this journal into her mattress for safe keeping. This is the first exposure she had to the influenza which actually infected her, although she didn't know. She did this because she wasn't told about the train tickets until later (remember when she came down with the blanket over her? That's where she was). Oh, and in case you were wondering, Aron and Hailey were changed as well. Does this assure a reappearance? Don't know. Until next chapter, my lovelies! Cheers!


	28. The Hunt

For the few years following, it was generally a routine life for the both of them. So routine, in fact, that I have no true business musing on it. The most important event that took place after the change happened in the year 1936 in the dead of winter.

Cara weakly perched herself on a tree branch and rested her head against the bark. She counted almost nine days since her last feed. The Depression had taken a toll on everyone, living or dead. The apartment Chelsea left her was only paid until the end of that month. Cara curled her legs onto the branch and spotted another tear in her tights. They were nearly shreds at this point.

Cara held a job for a while, when everything was good, and even got her own apartment. But when the lion was silenced, she was back on the streets. It was rare that she fed. People never went out anymore. They couldn't trust the storm. If Cara was not the threat, then it was certainly looters and crooks who frightened them into their make shift shelters. Cara was like them now. Penniless. Starving. Hopeless. Desperate. Alone. Afraid. It was possible to fear for a life that she should've never had. She knew that now. A noise made her freeze for a moment. A crunch of deceased, unfrosted leaves. Then more. And more. A pattern. A person. She descended from the tree and crouched like a jungle cat ready to capture its squirming prey.

She walked through a dirt path silently, following the walking and before long, she noticed a fire. She ducked behind a snow-covered boulder. The scent of wet dog hit her nose like a tidal wave. She couldn't find its source. She put a hand over her nose and listened carefully. They were native in every way. They wore animal skin and wreaked of its meat. They were tall and dark with pride burning in their shadowy eyes as bright as the bonfire. She stayed still as a few more of them stood in her view of the fire. They spoke worriedly as the most regal of them all (their leader, she presumed) stepped forward. She also heard five sets of new footsteps. They stopped at the same time. They must've faced each other. There was silence.

A tall, built man came into Cara's narrowed view. He had small black eyes and short dark hair. His skin was pale and she smelled no blood. Her spine turned to ice in a moment. The five were vampires, she could smell it clearly now. She had to get away.

The leader spoke sternly in his best English, one of the vampires responded which made her freeze in place.  
>"We mean no harm to your people."<br>"I know of your people and what they are capable of."  
>"But we are different."<p>

Silence.

There was a stir amongst the people. The two tribesmen in front of Cara moved apart, giving her enough of a view. Yes, it was Carlisle. There was no question. His blonde hair was tucked under a checkered cap which fit well with the tweed suit. Behind him stood a tall blonde girl of striking beauty. Her clothes were fashionable and her stance was strong although Cara could sense her fear. Holding her waist was the toned man from before. Next to Carlisle was a sweet looking woman with hair like falling caramel. She, too, was gorgeous.

"If you promise to leave our people, we will grant your presence. This treaty is never to be broken."  
>"You have my word that it never will be."<br>Carlisle stepped forward to shake the man's hand and it was then that she saw him. Bronze hair, tall stature, face half illuminated by the glowing fire.  
>"Edward?" She said it too quiet for human ears but not silent enough for his. He turned his head and caught a glimpse of her before she ducked behind her rocky shield. No one else noticed, no one else cared. Soon enough, the leader dismissed them and the dog scent dissipated. All the footsteps departed and Cara was alone once more with a will to investigate her estranged fiancé.<p>

She waited until nightfall and followed his scent. It got clearer and clearer as she got closer to the edge of the woods. There was a wooden home with beautiful blue paint, enormous glass windows and dripping with the scent of Edward. She saw an open deck area and acted quickly since no one appeared to be home. She walked through the home in awe. Everything was expensive and pristine. It was like being in a museum. She forgot what it was like to live in a home. For a moment she took note of all the things she could take to sell to the sleazy street vendor but then decided against it. No matter how much she needed decent looking clothes and a good bathe, she couldn't bring herself to steal from Dr. Cullen. She stopped when she passed by a familiar looking room. Everything Edward ever loved and treasured was kept neatly in his room. It had a door that opened into the trees that sang with the Nightingale song. She looked at his bookshelf to find one of his leather bound journals that she got him for his birthday one year long ago. Next to that was another. And another. And another following. Ten in a neat and tidy row between _A Midsummer Night's Dream_ and _Dante's Inferno_. She picked up the one behind _Inferno_. It was worn and torn with tiny stains of water in places. She sat on the chair, overlooking the overwhelming feeling of comfort she felt at the moment -she'd forgotten what a chair felt like as well-, and began to read.

As his loving adopted family settled into their home from a rough night of hunting, Edward went straight to his room, still reeling from the strange incident at the Quileute reservation. It was her. It had to be her. He walked down the hall towards his bedroom. But if it was her, why didn't he read her thoughts. His door was closed and when he opened the door, he knew she was there. His breath caught in his dormant lungs. There was no chance of denial anymore.

"I thought that was you." Edward turned on his desk lamp and stared at Cara. She sat lengthwise on the armchair, torn-tight covered ankles crossed, stained dress laying across her thighs. Her face was smudged with dirt and her hair held a few stray twigs. She was disheveled and unrefined but she was still the most beautiful woman in the world. He spied the journal in her lap, "It's very uncouth to go through people's personal belongings."  
>"Well, that rule is lifted if it was a gift," she took the journal and flipped the pages quickly, "plus, my name is all throughout." They both gave an awkward smile. Cara sat upright and looked at the floor.<br>**_I thought you were dead. Dead for eighteen years._**  
>"Me too."<br>"Me too what?"  
>A look of confusion.<br>"What's wrong with your eyes?"  
>"What?"<br>"Well... I've never seen them that colour."  
>"I just fed."<br>"On what?"  
>"Deer, mostly, they're the only ones to come out in this weather."<br>"Why?!" She stood, horrified.  
>"Well, we can't kill people!"<br>"Some people are awful and don't have any life to live!"  
>"You think you can judge someone's quality of life?"<br>"Accurately!" They were inches from each other. Cara's nose filled with his scent, she noticed his fists were clenched. The hands that once touched her so gently. She looked up at his glare, "Stop it." She whispered.  
>"What?" He nearly spat.<br>"Stop talking to me like I chose this! Stop looking at me like I am everything in your life that's wrong!" Her eyes filled with hot tears, "You used to love me more than anyone else in the world!"  
>"I loved you when you were good." <strong><em>A murderer cannot be loved.<em>**  
>"You hypocrite." She whispered. There was a long silence. Neither understood how the reunion turned sour so quickly.<br>"I think you should leave."  
>"I'm so sorry I came." She looked at the ground as a tear fell, "I loved you so much more when I thought you were dead."<p>

The next day she snuck onto a cargo ship. It carried heavy ropes, fishing line and our story's heroine. She made a small hole in the wall of the ship and spent the nights watching the water turn from American to Indian. When the ship docked, she swam to Italy. And dripping with sea water and desperation, the Volturi coven welcomed her as their new recruit.

...

What a way to start off the new Part, huh? A great chapter, I say, but quite late. All my fault, of course, I get distracted so easily. But as a new-chapter's resolution, I'll do my very best to make sure it's on time. Anyway, just a few things before I disappear for another week, Cara is now dirt poor at the very beginning, as everyone else is since it's the Depression. Picture Katniss Everdeen when Peeta is throwing her the burned bread. Yes, THAT poor. It's quite tragic. I'm so glad to add in the Quileute treaty, it's like a bit of a history lesson in with your weekly novel. It's brilliant (if I do commend myself as such). Anyway, be mindful of the placement of Edward's journals, for it was intentional. In chronological order, his earliest journals are placed near the comedies of Shakespeare and towards the end, it's near the much more grim _Dante's Inferno_ about hellfire and such tragedies. Oh, and if your were wondering where Cara's powers were, we start to see them here. Anything in the _**bold italics** _is Edward's thoughts. She can read his thoughts, but he can't read hers. Sound like someone? But different. of course. This is Cara, after all. And finally, Cara is now apart of the Volturi which means that the next few chapters will follow her training as a guard as Edward is consoled by his family who was eavesdropping, obviously. Thanks so much for your undying patience. Cheers!


	29. The Cloaks

Cloaks. Black cloaks all around and Cara was one of them. There seemed over a hundred guards meant to protect only three men but that never stops the Volturi from searching for more; for they will never be satisfied until they have an army of guards to protect them. And protect them they did, with all the proper training, of course.

Cara received her training from many mentors. First Chelsea, since Cara was undoubtedly her responsibility, who proved to be a devoted teacher but much too distracted by her mate. Second, by a small, temperamental, as Cara often put it, child of her early teens called Jane. Jane, although well-qualified, easily bored of the task and moved on. Her third and permanent teacher used to be a charming Greco, although now he is known as the Volturi's best tracker. His name was Demetri. Tall with olive skin and inky hair, he subconsciously reminded Cara of Edward. Only subconsciously so. Consciously, she studied his swift movements and quick thought in combat. She soaked up his teachings like a studious sponge.

"If someone comes up from behind you, what is the first action you take?" Demetri asked, turning his back to her.

"Turn around?"

"Wrong."

"How?"

He turned to her and held her cheeks with both hands, "Close your eyes." He put a finger on each eyebrow and slowly slid them down, forcing her eyelids shut, "Good, now, I want you to pay very close attention to what I say." He walked behind her and took a few steps back, "when you close your eyes, your ears make up for the lost information." He circled her slowly like a shark with careful step, her head remained facing forward, "Although your senses are high enough, cutting off one will increase the others." There was a pause. He traced the outline of her body with his eyes. Everything about her enticed him, mainly because she was, after all, fresh blood, "You can hear everything. You can hear a drop of water, ten miles away, a human's heartbeat." He got close to her, "you can hear someone's breath." The two wore no cloaks, of course no one did whilst training, tight black clothes took their place as uniform; this only added to Cara's allure, "What I want you to do is tune out everything and only listen to the sound of air moving as your opponent moves to attack you. And block accordingly." She made no movement or sound. She was still. He mustered all his strength and moved his hand towards the nape of her neck. The fatal blow was interrupted by a harsh grab and in a following moment, the heel of Cara's boot met his jaw. Demetri slid to the other side of the room, inertia acting on his blow, only to be stopped by the marble steps.

Yes, Cara was quite a learnéd pupil. However; not once, did she ever see Demetri as anything other than a mentor.

And he knew.

And he hated it.

And he was determined to change it.

Whatever the cost.

"Why must we wear the cloaks?"

"For many reasons." Chelsea said calmly as they sat in the study, awaiting the hunters to return with the day's feed, "Aro likes the way that we all look dressed the same." Every army wears a uniform, "But mostly, it's for protection."

"From what?" Cara asked wide-eyed.

"The sun." Chelsea said shortly. Cara thought for a moment. She never did spend any time in the day since her change.

"What happens?" A large grin blossomed on Chelsea's face.

"Let me show you." Among the numerous hidden doors and winding staircases within the Volturi castle, there was only one passage leading to the dormant watch room. Chelsea walked to the window and tugged the curtain a little. She rolled up the sleeve of her cloak and placed it under the strip of sunlight.

"Wow." Cara gazed at Chelsea's white arm which sparkled with the jewel-shine of a thousand diamonds blanketing her forearm, "Why would we need protection from this? It's beautiful."

"Apparently it alerts humans that we are vampires. It shows our true nature." She shrugged, "I like it."

"Try!" Chelsea pressed, poking her sleeve. Cara rolled it up with haste and held her arm under the band of light.

"What?" They both stared at her arm flabbergasted. Her pale skin was illuminated, but not shimmering. In a moment, Cara felt a tingling sensation.

"What is that?" A small strand of grey snaked into the air, "Ahh... Ow... Ow! OWW!" She ripped her hand away quickly and slinked back into the shadows of the room. She held her wrist in horror before looking at it. The moon-shaped scar of her second birth singed red, lower down were second and third degree burns along her forearm. The pain was unbearable, "Wh- why?"

Chelsea shook her head as she looked down at the burns, her mouth gaped open. I've never seen that... Not even with Aro..." She looked sternly at Cara, "you're different... More powerful than the others."

"What should I do?"

"Don't tell anyone... They're not very pleased with differences around here..." She spied an old swatch of fabric tucked in the rocks. It came from an old red-orange flag, although Chelsea saw it as a scarf, "Wear this to hide the burn... We won't tell anyone about this." A breath, "we'll keep it a secret." Beneath the pain, Cara was happy to be in a friendship that kept secrets between each other again.

...

Finally I get to update early in the day which is very good considering I have a slightly busier day than normal. The joys of writing chapters on Saturdays. So, Demetri isn't in love with Cara, its really more of a carnal desire. Is this important for later chapters? I believe so. I think, more so, is the revelation that Cara can't be in sunlight at all. I didn't want her to be the ridiculous, sparkly vampire that was described in the series. I feel its quite daft to add that bit in. So I took it out. She's so different from the others and it seems to show more and more as she matures as a vampire. You'll see it in her powers, her sensitivity to light, everything. So stay tuned. Thanks for reading, cheers!


	30. The Ambush

I've decided to do a small note before the chapter just as a small disclaimer. For those of you who don't like it when the OC takes up the whole chapter, I guess you can skip this chapter. There are plenty of canon characters in the chapter but it's mainly about Cara and what's going on with her as Edward returns to live with Carlisle and Esme and lives happily (but lonely) with his adoptive parents. So if it bothers you, skip it, but if not, do read on because it's quite good and it's much richer in length. I'm quite pleased. Also, I've had an idea yesterday. I'm sure everyone's got an Instagram here, right? Well, As I was looking at last months stats, I see I've got nearly 900 viewers for A Hundred Years Worth of Journals. Exciting! So I've made a promise to myself and now to you, that if we reach 1000 viewers by the month's end, I'm going to set up an Instagram page for this story and any others to come. I got so excited because everyday I see things that give me inspiration and ideas and I'd love to share those things with you and hopefully I can so for July, be sure to tell others about this story and comment and favourite and everything else you do to get the word out. I'm so excited about this and I hope we reach 1000 viewers. I truly put everything I've got into these chapters and it's so great to see others enjoy it. But, on to the story, cheers!

...

Our mysterious heroine spent many a night alone, attempting to understand herself. She crept out of the castle at nights like a swift ally cat. She sat on the stony roofs of neighboring Tuscan villages and prayed under the black sky. Her abilities confused her and frightened her. She heard everyone's thoughts. She could turn invisible. She could find others based on their scent. She could make others around her feel happy. Anything anyone else around her could do, she instinctively could do as well. It was only after this dawned on her that a strong hand picked her up from her cloak and put a black cover over her face. In an instant, she was on her knees on the marble floor in the parlor area where Aro, Marcus and Caius quietly reined over the undead world. The sheet, and a few strands of her hair, were ripped off her. Cara stared at the three pairs of feet in awe.

"And what were you doing in the common villages?" Aro asked lightly. He was unusually upbeat. Cara did not dare to look at his face to gauge whether he was trying to create a false sense of hope.  
>"I was always careful, sir... Never catching the attention of humans." Cara began, tracing the lines in the marble with her eyes.<br>"But what if you had?" Marcus said suspiciously. Cara felt him eyeing her.  
>"I was always careful." Cara repeated.<br>"But why, child?" Aro asked soothingly. Cara held her breath, listening to the sounds of the room. Caius sighed, thinking of the most beautiful ways to die. On the other side of the castle, Cara heard the hushed love making of Chelsea and Afton. Outside, a cat purred as it slept soundly on a window ledge.  
>"I wanted to have a moment to myself. Just to think." She admitted. Aro looked at his brothers and waved his hand, signaling them to leave the room.<br>"Rise, child." He said when the room became vacant, apart from two. She slowly stood, staring into his eyes. His face was smiling and lighthearted, like a child's, but his eyes portrayed only death. He looked her over, "Cara, correct?" She nodded. Aro clapped his hands together in joy, "A beautiful Italian name for a beautiful girl. Do you know, it means 'beloved'?" She slowly nodded again.  
>"Also 'friend'." Cara added. Aro smiled and nodded.<br>"All true, yes," he continued to look at her, cloak to hood, "I've heard of you... Many things of you, in fact. That you are a fast learner and can outsmart any opponent."  
>"I try, sir."<br>"Pleaseeeeee, Aro." He smiled and looked into her eyes, "My dear, you don't look too much like a trained killer." He giggled, "Why, you look like a school girl, catching the attention of every boy around her."  
>"Looks can be deceiving, as I'm sure you know." Aro was slightly insulted by this but moved on quickly.<br>"Do you know of the gift that was bestowed upon me upon my change?" Cara shook her head, "Well! It's truly quite astonishing! With a simple touch of our bare hands, I can observe each and every thought and memory you have ever had. You're entire life before my own eyes. Isn't it wonderful?" Another wide smile. Immediately, Cara thought of three memories she wanted to keep from Aro, "Now, as a sort of initiation, I usually make a point to know the lives of my guard... However, I do not believe I have had the pleasure." Aro removed a smooth, inky glove from his right hand, "would you permit me?"

Cara reluctantly obliged and as they touched, she immediately saw her own life before her eyes. With every memory she wanted hidden she blocked it out from her mind, and, therefore, his. She couldn't let him see her and Edward meeting again. She couldn't let him see Aron and his sister lying in a pool of blood on their marble floor, newborns in a new, unforgiving life. And she couldn't let him see any of her thoughts from the day in the watch tower to the nights in the village. But he didn't notice, he was too enveloped in the story. And when Cara would let him see her past, she saw his. Unfiltered. She saw him bite Chelsea and laugh as she screamed in pain. She saw him rip off the heads of vampires even though they begged for forgiveness. She saw him kill his sister. His own sister. She saw Carlisle. He was disappointed, and left. From this exchange of pasts, she knew instantly who, in the coven was trustworthy and not. Most of them were not. As Aro released her hand, a plan formed in her now undisturbed mind.  
>"How enchanting." He said dreamily, "I see that you have caught the attention of the men around you." Cara nodded, still in shock of what she saw.<br>"I see that you have not yet formed any special abilities just yet, my beloved friend." Aro smiled, "You're still so young. It will come to you, eventually." He giggled, "We'll have to work on that, won't we?"  
>"Yes, Aro. Of course."<br>"Good!" Aro said with a clap of his hands, "You may retire, Cara." He took his place on his throne and grinned happily, "I simply cannot wait until I see you again."  
>Cara bowed slightly and turned to walk from the room. She walked down three hallways and up six staircases, so thrown by her new insight to those around her. She wanted to leave. She wanted to escape. She finally got to her room and collected all the money she could find from her hiding spots (in the Volturi, only Aro was meant to keep money, although Cara hid some in case of anything, this instance being her 'anything'). She tied her money in twine and tied it to her calf tight, like a rich tourniquet.<p>

She removed her Volturi gown as if it were burning her skin and wore the dress she had when she first stepped foot in Volterra. She stared at her cloak on the floor and grabbed it, tying it to her neck with haste. She hadn't lived outside Volterra in nearly a year and now left with a rational fear of sunlight. As she turned out of the corridor to the staircase, she was shoved against the wall by a cloaked figure.  
>"Are you psychotic? Do you want to get us all killed? Do you want to expose our kind?" This threatening voice was Demetri. His hood fell as he shook Cara's shoulders.<br>"Of course not!"  
>"Then what were you doing?"<br>"Why? Why do you care?"  
>"I will not die because of you. And you sneaking out every night just to sit on rooftops could mean the death of all of us!"<br>"So, you've been following me, is that it?" Cara asked softly. Demetri breathed heavily and looked her over, under the dark cloak, she wore a simple white dress, worn at the skirt's hem. It fit her well. He slammed her body against the stone wall, a few pebbles falling behind her and he pressed his lips to hers. He greedily grabbed any part of her he could, pressing himself against her.  
>"Get off of me!"<br>"You think you can tease me for months and then try to sneak away unnoticed, how dare you, someone has to inform you of the way things are done here!" He began to unlace the back of her dress under her cloak as he held her arms in his hand.  
>"Get your hands off me!" She freed a hand and immediately swung her fist to his jaw. The force pushed him to the other wall, he kept back onto her, holding her tight by the small of her back.<br>"You must obey me! I made you!" Cara's anger skyrocketed, her hand shot towards his neck and in that moment, a sharp and shiny dagger seemed to materialize from her palm. She held it with force against his neck.  
>"No, let me explain something to you, because it seems you don't understand." Cara spat with poisonous fury. Demetri looked at the dagger in shock then laughed.<br>"You cannot kill me with a chunk of ice." Cara grind her teeth together and held the cold dagger between his legs, at the base of his crotch. Demetri froze in fear.  
>"My parents have birthed me, Chelsea has helped me, my pain has shaped me." She held the dagger closer, the threat becoming more severe, "and you, have merely strengthened me. But it was me. I. Made. Me. And you cannot take anything from me." With a swift flick of her dagger, she crippled him with a nick the size of a small nail clipping for just long enough to run down the stairs and escape the castle.<br>Behind her, Demetri howled in agony and screamed at her, "You will answer for your disobedience! I'll be sure of it!" She snuck out a window and jumped from tree to tree.

She made it just to the outskirts of Volterra when the sun peaked out from the horizon. Cara knew that she had to leave at day, knowing that at night they could come for her without any human intervention. She walked to the shore, quickly finding a trading ship loading up to dock. She kept herself invisible and hidden as she secretly boarded the ship and wedged herself behind two large crates in a dark and damp cargo hold.

For a week she was trapped there as they docked, unloaded and set sail again. Finally, her hiding place was compromised when one of the crates was removed. She stayed invisible and peaked behind the other crate. There were many lights although the day was dark, this was sufficient. She stumbled out of the cargo hold, exhausted and starving. When she found a street, she walked into an alleyway and allowed herself to be seen. She removed the black cloak and straightened the skirt of her dress. As she walked, she began to notice a different language and a different setting. But it matter little to her, she just needed to feed.

After nearly an hour of walking, her arm was grabbed by a man in an alleyway and she was pulled into the darkness.

"Dinheiro, dinheiro." The man demanded as he held a knife to her stomach.

"Thank God!" Cara whispered as a quick search of his mind revealed nothing but darkness. She pinned him against the wall and before he could scream, she was feasting on pint after pint of his blood.

She kept walking, eyes down, carrying her cloak like a baby. She found a small church and climbed up the fire escape to the attic. The window was broken and there were no attempts to repair it. Inside the attic, there were a few dusty rocking chairs and old silver candle sticks. Near the window there was a crucifix carved out of wood. But the window is what astonished her. It was a large window that seemed to overlook the entire city. Which was alive and excited at all hours, much like New York was when she was a child. Cara spent many hours each night sitting in the rocking chair next to the window and learning Portuguese from the Bible. She'd often look up at the glowing Cristo Redentor and then down at the streets below, surveying the city before her. The lull of constant noise, people and energy soothed her. She enjoyed watching the ever-present artificial brightness of the streets before searching for prey. When the thirst took hold of her, she would find that one lonely drunkard with nowhere to go and no one to go to. She would make it quick and humane.

For years she felt like a god.

For years she was anonymously feared by her people.

For years she was Rio.

For years she thought she was happy.


	31. The Masquerade

_I had no idea what I was doing when I kissed Bella goodbye in the forest that day. I had no idea what I was doing telling my family to disappear from Forks and break off all contact with anyone here, especially Bella. But somewhere in the deep crevices of my mind, I knew what I was looking for._

_I couldn't be with Bella anymore–I knew this much. Humans are just too fragile for the predators of the night and I couldn't keep pretending that I'm not a threat. I could've killed Bella any one of the times we were alone together. I could've even done it in public. But I was away, far far far away and I was no longer a threat to her. I traveled for a time with many motives apart from the underlying one. I told myself that I was going to find Victoria and make sure she couldn't harm Bella. I told myself that I wanted to search for friends of Carlisle's so I might have some place to stay. I told myself that I'd never been everywhere. I even told myself that I wanted to forget about Bella and make myself accept going back to the lonely life I once had. This was all somewhat true in their own regard. But I never confronted my true reasoning, mostly because I felt guilty for my desire._

_In a few months' time, I found myself staring at the unfinished ceiling of an attic, marginalized by the pests that normally reside there. Below me there were many Spaniards who talked and made noise day in and day out. I smelled their cooking and sweat and saw their filth until I could no longer bare it and left the attic. Undetected by others, I walked the streets of what I understood to be Rio de Janeiro._

_The attic seemed to dull my senses and left me more depressed than when I arrived. This is probably the reason, when I realized I had stumbled into the ending day of Carnival, I made sure to toss back as much intoxicating poison as I could get my cold, dead hands on. I wanted to forget about the mistakes I made. I wanted to be numb. I wanted to get over Bella. I wanted someone from the past._

_As soon as this thought crossed my mind, I was given a very posh-looking lion's mask by a small child,_ "Usá-lo! Usá-lo! Usá-lo!" _The boy demanded of me and smiled with pride when I obliged. My body swayed drunkenly to the constant rhythm of the drums as I hummed off-tune. But even in this drunken stupor, I was still able to recognize her. Her dark brown hair was straightened out and moved gently with the breeze. Her skin, although fairer than most, was coloured to appear sun-kissed. Her eyes were a dark maroon, she hadn't fed for a few days or so. Like many, her costume barely covered her. It was more of a dark lingerie set with black ribbons hugging the cinch in her waist and the curves of her legs. Her high-heeled feet stepped quickly to the beat of the music, repeating the sounds on the table top from which she danced. A group of loud drunkards cheered from below her, the blood coursing through their veins with haste when she swayed her hips._

_I didn't know what I was doing when I went up to the table and took her over my shoulder, walking away with her regardless of the yells and protests of the men. I don't know what I was doing when I held her against a wall nearby and watched the eyes I was once enamoured by gaze at me wildly through her dark mask. I didn't know what I was doing when I allowed her to walk us to some abandoned church attic. I had no idea what I was doing when she took off my mask and I hers. But it was when our lips touched gently that I knew what I was doing. I was fulfilling my true purpose. And finally, the search ended and I had found meaning once more, in the arms of my Cara._

~~~/~~~

The forbidden couple remained intoxicated for about two days (since the poison has no true means of traveling through a lifeless body and must dissipate through time), but stayed with each other long after the impairment had run its course. Although Edward had lost count over how many times he saw the single strip of sunset illuminate the attic ceiling, he believed it was nearly eight days that he'd lived in near sin with his long-lost paramour. Unlike their humans years, they never tired, never slept, never needed to stop, although they did.

Edward enjoyed standing behind Cara at the window, his arms around her waist, her head against his chest. They watched the never-ending clamor of noise and energy like gods in the heavens. Cara loved to lay beside him when the moonlight bathed their skin in a pale natural glow. They gazed at each other as if it was the first time they actually saw one another—in some regard, it was.

They were happy.

And, perhaps, if Cara had not gone away one night to feed, they would have stayed in their world of bliss. They would've married and lived with the Cullens, never feeling lost or lonely ever again. But in the blackness of the night in the attic, a cell phone in Edward's pocket wailed with alarm and terrible news was relayed. Edward panicked and stumbled on the numbers, trying to remember the distant phone number he desired. However, when the call went through, it was not the voice he wanted to hear.

"Swan residence."

"May I speak to Charlie Swan?" He was amazed he could form the words.

"He's not here right now." The voice was angered and cold. Jacob, "He's going to a funeral."

It was true. And it was his fault. He thought he had taken Bella from this world. The phone crumbled in his hand like a piece of paper and he tossed it on the ground. He had killed people before but never an innocent girl like Bella. He knew he had to right this wrong. He had to pay for what he had done. He wanted to die and he knew how to do it.

...

Just a few background things to go over before beginning my personal commentary. First, for those who are not quite sure of your Portuguese (as I am), Google Translate tells us that "Usá-lo" means "wear it". Second, I looked it up and the 2011 Carnival celebration in Rio lasted from March 5-8. And in New Moon, St. Marcus Day is said to be on March 19, so eight days together puts the fatal phone call around the 16th or 17th (just for reference). This was such a fun chapter to write. I had a lot of research behind it including where Edward said he went, what Jacob told Edward over the phone in the movie and also a bunch of stuff about the Carnival. I think its brilliant. The costumes are quite posh and the music is nice. It's a big deal and I couldn't have Cara live in Rio from the 30's to the 2010's without mention at least one Carnival. And so here it is. I found one image of a woman in a gold bra and panties with a bunch of ribbons along her body and she had this huge lions mask. And so my mind went to work and I thought let me give a lion mask to Edward (since he is the lion) and the costume to Cara. Her mask was of a black panther, in case you were wondering. I wish someone could draw a picture of her costume. If we get to 1000 views, my dear readers, Cara's Carnival costume will be the first post on the fan Instagram. I hope we do get to 1000. what a milestone that might be! Speaking of, I have put a poll up again asking you directly if you want me to create an Instagram for my writing. So please do me a kindness and vote on that and also share with friends, neighbors, enemies, scoundrels, whomever. And don't forget to comment and follow this story. Thanks so much for reading, cheers!


	32. The Judgment

Ahhh, don't you just love these last minute Wednesday posts, I think they're delightfully stressful. I just finished the second editing and I hope it's better now, less mistake-ridden. I would've been happy with the first edit but the moment I went to save it, FanFiction decided to stop working. But, isn't that all part of the fun? I'm so excited to include the Volturi scene from the movie. I remember seeing the clip on my first Hi-Def HD LCD ABC, whatever, television and the bit where Bella is pushed and her hair flips looked magical. Cinematographers these days focus so much on artistry in scenes and it really brings the scene to life sometimes. So, thanks to the New Moon movie, for which this chapter is mainly derived from and keep spreading the word, we're nearly half way to our monthly goal of 1000 viewers and like I said, if it happens I will happily create an Instagram so all of you can further keep up with my writings. I am quite excited. Also, if you would do me a kindness, keep a look out for my good friend, and faithful reader, RetroReaction's story update. Its for her story You Again, also a Twilight fanfic and its quite brilliant. So do look that up and follow it since I believe she will update soon. Thanks so much for reading, please review and favourite and all of such similar actions, it means a great deal to me. Cheers!

...

The moment Cara approached the church house, she knew something was wrong. She stopped at the door: scanning, observing, searching. Before she even entered she knew Edward was no longer there but went up to her room just in case she was wrong- she wasn't. The only remnant of Edward's was a crushed cell phone by the window and a heavy feeling of regret in the air. She went downstairs again, eyes watering as she inhaled deeply turning in all directions, trying to track him. West. The shore.

Edward coughed a few times as he hauled himself up on the dark beach. The sand begged him not to tread on as it sunk him in closer but he rejected it with each step and moved forward. He stood for a moment and looked at Volterra before him. He never saw it up close, only looked at pictures in books and imagined it from stories Carlisle used to tell him. But this place before him had much more grandeur and splendor. This place looked ancient and new all at the same time. This place was much more fear-provoking than he had ever pictured.

He ran a hand through his wet hair and walked onto the cobblestone streets. He occasionally wrung out his shirt but cared not for first impressions, only about his request. He didn't walk to the front entrance, but rather to a dark alleyway, knowing he could find one of their guards lurking. And so he did.

"I request an audience with the Volturi."

"For what purpose?" The cloaked figure cooed.

"A termination request." Edward said. The girl lifted her head to look at him. She was a short girl, only about five foot three. Her hair was curly and light brown, her eyes were a glowing crimson. The moment she looked at his face she recognized him. A picture from long ago, hidden within a friend's living quarters.

"Follow me." Chelsea said softly and led him through the dark alleyway into a hidden doorway. When she was safely inside, she allowed the hood to fall to her shoulders as she walked quickly.

Edward followed along sluggishly. He was annoyed with the fast-paced nature of her thoughts and therefore decided to tune them out. This was an awful place. Full of torture and death and he didn't need his abilities to tell him that.

"A visitor, sir." Chelsea said slowly, head faced towards the ground.

"Thank you my dearest Chelsea." Aro said cheerily as she exited promptly. Aro smiled at Edward as he stepped closer, "I do not believe we have had the pleasure..."

"My name is Edward Cullen." At first Edward kept his chin down but then lifted it to meet Aro's gaze.

"Carlisle." Aro said happily clapping his hands together, "how wonderful! Gentlemen, do we not remember our dear brother, Carlisle?" The other two nodded solemnly.

"Carlisle created me in 1918..." Edward thought for a moment, "He has been my father ever since."

"Of course he has." He said with a smile. Aro rose from his embellished throne and walked towards Edward, a hand outstretched, "I trust you know of my abilities..." Aro's hand waited, "if I may." Edward begrudgingly took his hand and in a moment his life scrolled before him, projected by Aro's mind. It was incredible and horrifying at the same time. Everything he ever did and thought lay before both of them like a movie clip. As soon as it began, it ended. Aro's mouth curved into a smile as his mind grasped at the images of a young vampire who shared a similar past. Cara was one of them. Edward was disgusted.

"How wonderful." Aro said with a light airiness, "Surely you can't possibly expect me to throw away such a remarkable gift as yours. Not without a reasonable cause."

"You should." He said slowly, staring blankly at Aro, "before I do anything reckless." Caius sat up straighter in his chair.

"Are you trying to threaten us?" Caius challenged.

"I am simply warning you." Edward said to Caius venomously, "There is nothing more dangerous than a man who no longer fears death and has a dreadful secret to keep. You would not want to allow such a man to walk amongst your people."

"We cannot allow him to disturb the peace so close to the holiday." Caius said through gritted teeth. Aro raised his hand to silence him.

"You make your move, Edward, and we will make ours." Aro said, drawing nearer once more, "but perhaps you would find more pleasure in making a rational decision..." He walked backwards to his throne, his gaze never leaving Edward's face, "Join us. Your powers would be of much use to us. Perhaps you may also convince our old friend to come back with us as well." Aro cooed menacingly, Edward's anger rose, "she is quite a beautiful flower, you seem to have a type, my dear boy." Aro chuckled.

Marcus gave Edward a sad look and spoke softly, "Chose wisely, for when you chose one thing you lose the other." Edward turned away, unnerved by the painful memories that flooded Marcus' mind.

"We can offer you so much, Edward. You will want for nothing." Aro said encouragingly.

"I only want one thing Aro. And if you won't grant me my wish I will force your hand."

"We shall see, Edward." Aro said, sitting back on the gilded throne as Edward left through the darkened alley once more.

From the moment Cara stepped foot on the beach that night, she knew Edward had been there. She squeezed her long hair and ran her hands over the sleeves of her shirt, releasing a few water droplets onto the ground. She inhaled deeply, looking for his trace and followed the lead with haste. When she reached the Volturi castle, she was nearly close enough to hear the whispers of his thoughts. Cara climbed up a wall of the castle and snuck into the watch room. She snatched a cloak from the first room she saw and made her way, undetected, to the source of her lover's thoughts.

"If I may." Aro said before Edward gave him his hand. Cara shut her eyes and lowered her head as she fully indulged in Aro's overview of Edward's life. It was beautiful and frightening. She couldn't help but grind her teeth when the image of Bella flashed across his mind. She was human and he loved her. But she was dead now and he wanted to die. Cara opened her eyes, feeling the tears begin to form. She blinked them away and kept listening.

"We cannot allow him to disturb the peace so close to the holiday." Caius said through gritted teeth, thinking of St. Marcus Day the next morning. Cara looked at Edward, she knew he heard it to. Immediately, a plan formed. He would show himself to a crowd, exposing his immortality to an unsuspecting public. Cara could do nothing to stop him if he went through with it. But she could stop Aro. As Edward walked away, a plan of her own formed.

"What a happy surprise! Bella is alive after all! Isn't that... wonderful? I love a happy ending!" He took Edward's hand, wanting to understand their history more, "Ahhh... They are so grand." Cara stood in a dark corridor, invisible to the other two guards at the entrance. Cara felt her stomach sink to her knees when Bella came into view. The girl Edward now loved stood at his side, perfectly alive and well. She focused on Edward, remembering her mission and focused on the conversation once more.

"Aro can read every thought I've ever had with just one touch." Edward said tiredly, he turned to Aro as a particularly surprising thought flashed through Aro's mind. Edward was at the clock tower, ready to expose himself to the public, when Bella jumped on him to shield his skin from the sun. He hoped it was Cara. As he opened his eyes, he was disappointed slightly, seeing that the savior was Bella instead, "and now you know everything, so get on with it." Edward glared, thinking of how annoyed he was with the idea of Aro looking into his past. Aro simply gave an uncomfortable laugh.

"You are quite a soul reader yourself, Edward, though," a pause as he looked between Edward and Bella, "you can't read Bella's thoughts..." He thought, _Or Cara's_, "Fascinating!" Edward grind his teeth as Aro turned his happy gaze to Bella, "I would love to see if you are an exception to my gifts as well. Would you do me the honour?" He grabbed her hand with excitement, his face dropped almost instantly, "Interesting," Aro stated flatly, "I see nothing." Edward grinned, feeling satisfied. Cara realized that Bella's thoughts were not sheltered from her. Cara grinned as well, thinking _I can_.

Aro was dissatisfied, allowing Jane to unleash her powers mercilessly on both of them. The fight began so quickly after. Cara clenched her fists with her plan in mind. If anyone so much as threatened to kill Edward, she would kill them first and escape. Edward may have thrown away his wedding vows, but Cara still believed in protecting her beloved. The blows went on and on when he hit the stairs at the foot of the thrones, Cara stood next to Aro, invisible to all eyes. As Aro's hands reached Edward's head, Cara's hands reached Aro's neck.

"Please! No, no, please! Please!" Bella shrieked and grabbed at her hair and clothing like a soap opera star. The sudden cries made Aro stop and look at her, "Kill me, kill me, not him." Bella pleaded. Cara stepped away from Aro as he stepped away from Edward. All eyes on Bella. She was nervous, afraid. But she did not regret her words. Cara stepped towards the window slowly as Aro spoke Italian blood poetry. As Cara made her way down the side of the castle, she saw an image of Bella and Edward. It was an image from the future, projected by the thoughts of the other girl who accompanied Edward. A psychic. As Cara settled into a dark tree and watched them leave, she replayed the vision in her mind. Bella and Edward ran together during a hunt, both as vampires. She walked to the sea shore at nightfall, still thinking of the vision as she swam slowly back to a now unwelcoming home.

They were beautiful.

They were powerful.

They were complete.

They were happy.


	33. The Invitation

"Alice?"  
>"I already see you as my sister," Alice said happily, walking away from Jasper and hugging Bella tight, "yes." Bella gave a little smile, satisfied with Alice's answer. The room was quiet for a bit.<br>Jasper tried to hide his thoughts. He thought of the last book he'd read and the last time he kissed Alice. This worked for a time but when Alice glanced at him during the awkward silence created by her hug to Bella, there was no hiding a small idea that was nagging at the back of his mind.  
><em>This is a mistake.<em>  
>"I vote yes." He blurted out too quickly. Everyone's eyes turned to Jasper in astonishment, "It would be nice not to want to kill you all the time." He followed up softly.<br>Alice gave him a half smile. He looked down, knowing he couldn't tell even his wife how he really felt: he didn't want Bella to be like them. But he wouldn't suspend Edward's chance at happiness for his own morals, he was not raised in this way. Rosalie spoke next, making Jasper wish he had been just as courageous.

"I'm sorry, I'm really sorry to both of you for how I've acted and I'm really grateful that you were brave enough to go and save my brother." Bella shook away the god awful memories of that fateful day at the clock tower and the close call with the Volturi, Rosalie continued in a humble whisper, "But this isn't a life I would've chosen for myself. And I wish that there had been someone to vote no for me. So no." Everyone spoke and everyone said yes. In only a few short moments, they all agreed to end the human life of Bella Swan, beginning anew with the immortal Bella Cullen. It was wrong. Jasper knew they all chose wrong.

It was three days before the wedding when Jasper secretly decided to find Cara. The guilt surrounding his execution vote ate away at him like a harsh parasite. He felt he had to correct the mistake. And, unconsciously, it was Alice who helped him along in this quest.  
>"I had the strangest vision..." She said not two minutes later, walking cautiously into their room, "you were talking to a girl who looked an awful lot like Bella." Jasper felt Alice's ping of envy and smiled a little at her, thinking of her sweetness, "you gave her a wedding invitation."<br>"It's not Bella, you're right..." Jasper held her shoulders, something he only did when the matter at hand was quite serious, "please, Alice, where was this?" Alice didn't question his motives. She knew him well enough.

"The Salish Ferry, going to Coupeville." Alice looked at him apprehensively. He kissed her excitedly, holding her tight.

"I'll be back soon, Alice," another thankful kiss, "very soon." With that he ran down to the garage, grabbed his car keys and drove away from the Cullen household.

He sped down highways and freeways, getting to the ferry in time for the evening departure for the Salish. He parked his car in the lower level and waited silently. He watched the humans walk sleepily out of their cars and to higher levels. He swallowed, his cravings beginning to overcome him. He closed his eyes tight, trying to focus. He took a few deep breaths and lowered the sun shade from the roof. He took the picture of Cara from the mirror compartment and studied it. Cara and Bella really did look the same. They had light faces and dark hair. They were both very lean and petite next to Edward. Although Cara seemed to have a happiness about her that Bella lacked. Cara looked so natural in Edward's presence, where Bella looked strained, as if she had to keep herself from attacking him. An outside presence tapping on Jasper's window snapped him into reality. It was a ferry safety guard.

"Sir, you have to exit the lower level, we're about to set sail." The man half shouted-half spoke through the glass. Jasper nodded, sucked in a breath and didn't take another until he was in a vacant sitting area facing the bow. He looked at the picture and looked around quickly. Not many humans stayed outside since it was both too cold and too dark. Jasper used this to his advantage and walked along the levels, looking for anyone else willing to brave the cold. There was one adolescent-looking boy on the other side of the lower level who drank quick gulps of a concealed Heineken between glances over his shoulder. There was another woman outside the door of the lower level who stared blankly at a small blue screen, hunched over in a silent conversation. He walked up the stairs to find only one person standing near the railing.

She held a camera to her eye and clicked rhythmically at the passing city. She didn't have the smell of fresh blood as the others did, hers was much sweeter. The wind pressed her clothes to her small body and blew around her long, straightened, red-brown hair sporadically. She had an orange scarf tied loosely around her right wrist, similar to where Edward's bite scar is. Jasper took a breath and approached her slowly.

"The city is beautiful, isn't it?" Cara said calmly. She snapped a few pictures and looked at Jasper, "Hm… I haven't seen you before… you must be one of the recruits." She shrugged and looked back at the city, getting a few more shots.

"What do you mean?" Jasper asked confused.

"You're here to ask me back aren't you?" A few more pictures, "You're trying to pull me back to Italy but I won't go." She turned to him fully and let the camera hang at her neck, "I have a job here now and a small apartment too. I won't be a guard again." She sighed and looked back at the city, Jasper touched her arm lightly.

"I'm not from the Volturi. I want to talk to you about my brother, Edward Cullen." Jasper said slowly, trying to tune into her emotions, he felt nothing from her.

"What could he want with me?" she said slowly. Jasper produced the invitation from his pocket, momentarily forgetting when he took them. She looked at the paper in his hand and took a step back, as if it spewed poison, "I don't want to watch Edward marry someone else."

"I don't want you to watch him get married—I want you to stop him."

There was a long pause, interrupted by an announcement of the PA system.

"We will be arriving in Coupeville in approximately five minutes. Please prepare your cars for exit. Thank you for choosing Coupeville Ferries." They kept each other's gaze for another minute, the invitation still extended to Cara.

"If you're going to explain any of this to me, I'll need a drink." Cara put the lens cap on her camera and walked down the stairs, Jasper followed a moment after.

They drove for a short time until they came to a familiar bar. They were seated before a large stone-brick fireplace. Cara placed the invitation on the table between the two of them.

"A glass of Merlot, please." Cara said to the 13moon employee. He walked away swiftly, they stayed quiet until he returned with the wine and left silently.

"How can you stand to be around the humans?" Jasper asked in a low voice.

"Drinking dulls the senses," she took a sip, her eyes on him, like a suspicious jungle cat, "dead or otherwise." Jasper shook his head a little and looked at the invitation on the table.

"Edward has proposed to a human girl—Bella. She's very nice and we all have nothing against her but she wants to become one of us." She continued to sip, never breaking her stare from the invitation, "But Edward does not want to kill her. And there are werewolves who threaten to bring harm upon my family if we kill her." Jasper retained composure and focused on her emotions again. Still nothing. This unnerved him, "We all know that Edward is making a huge mistake by going through with this, but nothing and no one is able to convince him of this."

"And you believe that I can?" Cara looked at him, pain prevalent in her face.

"I believe that when he sees you… and he remembers the life he had with you… and the life you two can have together… then he can make the right decision. Bella can live a normal life—as humans do. We can stay in our home in peace and you and Edward can be together. No murder. No blood. No war." He watched as she finished her glass and set it next to the invitation, "It would be so simple."

"Hm… war…" The waiter walked in, filled her glass and walked out of earshot, "I am surprised that it is you telling me this. The ex-solider, turned nomad, turned humane vampire." She took another sip, "who knew you might be a closet romantic? I would've though Alice or maybe Esme would come to me with such a request…" Jasper looked at her suspiciously.

"I seem to be the only one who is willing to correct my mistakes."

"I think what you don't know is that Edward and I have seen each other after our change." She took a sip and leaned towards Jasper, "he doesn't love me anymore." She sat back and swirled the wine in her glass, "Even when we were together again, he left me for Bella."

"Because of a misunderstanding. He was not forced to choose. You have to force him. Once he sees that you are made for each other you will be the one marrying him." He slid the card over to her. Cara looked at Jasper and took her last sip of wine, placing it on the table again. She looked at the flames dance in the chilled wind and stood.

"I'm sorry, Jasper, but I think that he's made his choice." She walked around the bench and towards the exit, "Thanks for the drink." Jasper chuckled slightly as she left. Cara walked down to her car to find Jasper leaning against the driver's door, invitation in hand.

"Just think about it." He said, handing her the card.

"You weren't going to let me go home tonight without that thing, were you?" Cara asked.

"Not a chance." Jasper said with a small smile. Cara cracked a smile, rolled her eyes and took it, bumping her hip against his thigh to move him away as she opened the door.

"Good night, Jasper." Cara said softly as Jasper walked towards his car and watched Cara drive off, the invitation next to her in the passenger seat.

...

I've finished this chapter quite early this time around and I'm rather fond of this earliness. This chapter truly... begins the end, unfortunately. I will be posting six chapters this week and next week I will post our final chapter and... that's it. It's quite an astonishing cocktail of emotions finishing a story brings about. I'm rather happy and excited to see people's reactions to the end (which, I wrote well before I even began part two). But, I'm also sad that it will come to a close. But, of course, everything must end, even stories fanfictions. I hope you all enjoyed this story and I hope you continue to read my work when I move onto fictionpress and other fanfictions. I'm so happy that you have all ben reading and sharing your thoughts and truly giving me the strength to keep writing and seek inspiration for other stories. I'm so touched by my readers, thanks so much for your support, I am truly humbled. Anyway, before I get even sappier than I just did, I'll wrap it up by pointing out a few things: the two Washington places mentioned (the ferry and the bar) are real life places. I feel its fair enough to assume that they were open in 2011. So went along with their evening hours on Thursday (since this takes place three days before their wedding: Saturday, August 17, 2011) and went from there. I'm quite pleased with the research I've done. You really should look up 13moons in Coupeville, their outdoor seating area is brilliant. Oh, also, when Cara said she has a job and a home, I imagine her as a photographer for a local magazine which is why she was taking pictures on the boat. She lives either in or around Coupeville, whichever is cloudier. Now, I realized only after I finished that I made Cara drink and drive. I do NOT condone such behavior. And it is in my opinion that in this particular story, they wont feel the effects of alcohol until they've had either quite a few drinks or it has been a few hours (or both, of course). Either way, drinking and driving is very very bad for you and everyone on the roads at the time, don't do it, okay? Until... tomorrow, actually. Cheers!


	34. The Search

Hello my lovelies! This intro will be short since I don't have a lot to explain here without ruining the next chapter. The only thing you really should know is that Hailey and Aron make their first spoken (as vampires) appearance. Ernest is also a vampire because he's much too loyal to them to leave them in death. And Hailey can change her identity at will. I know it implies that she can only do it when she has her gloves on but that's just what she uses as a trigger. I do hope you're all reading as much as possible and spreading the word. I'm truly hoping for 1000 views before the month ends (since the story will probably end as well...). So please keep reading and reviewing, you all mean just about everything to me! I probably won't update tomorrow but I may just so, until then, cheers!

...

The sound of kitten heels against hard wooden floors announced Hailey's arrival before she walked in through the front door of their newly acquired Olympia home. Although it did not hold a candle to the lush grandeur of the Anderson estate, it had a subtle, yet elegant class.

"No trace of her in Seattle." Hailey said matter-of-factly. She took a red thumb tack from a depreciating box and pushed the point through the second 'T' of the searched city.

"Okay, we'll go closer to the beaches," Aron said looking over the map with sadness. The United States before him was covered in tiny red daggers of disappointment. With each city, Aron grew closer to giving up, but the memories of his long-lost love kept him going. He knew she had sent for them to be changed. He knew that she was like them and she wanted to be found, "I'll go towards Sequim and you go towards Port Angeles."

"I'll take Ernest with me," Hailey said standing straighter, smoothing out her light purple summer dress and walked towards the door, Ernest held it open.

"Remember, Hailey." He said with a smile, holding her traveling gloves in his palm.

"Ernest, what could we possibly do without you?" Hailey said, slipping the delicate fabric through her fingers. As she did, her hair grew long and a brilliant shade of red, curling at the roots softly. Her skin tanned to olive and her eyes changed to a dark chocolate-brown. Her nose shrunk slightly as her ears became pierced.

"Let's not find out, shall we?" Ernest said playfully. Hailey smiled as seventeen freckles sprinkled her cheeks. She would be unrecognizable to anyone who knew her, but more importantly, her transformed skin would not give her secret away.

They drove along route 101 for a long while, stopping every so often to try to pick up a scent. After a few hours of endless dead ends, they parked in the middle of an outdoor shopping mall parking lot and drank blood poured into wine glasses.

"What are we to do if we do not find her, Ernest?" Hailey said, staring down into her half empty glass.

"I suppose if such a time comes, we will be ready to comfort him and maybe help him to move forward." He took a sip and looked around at the people, "after all, what more can we do?"

"Maybe so." They sat in silence for a time and close to noon, Hailey walked out of the car and into the mall. She was about to walk into a dress shop, meaning to indulge herself in material delights when a name caught her attention.

"Oh my God, Angela, how did you not get shoes for Edward's wedding?" This was truly more of an exclaimed statement than a question, "It's in like four hours!"

"Five. And I had shoes, but you dubbed them too man-ish when you asked for a picture this morning… and how are you still calling it Edward's wedding, doesn't the wedding get called the bride's wedding?" The girl called Angela responded. They walked into a bargain bin shoe store, a place Hailey wouldn't usually be caught dead in, but there were not many Edwards in Port Angeles, they checked the phone books already. Hailey hid behind a rack of sandals and took a few. She took a seat on the bench behind the two girls and looked at the floor as she tried shoes three sizes too big in order to listen to their mindless chatter for a lead.

"Ooh, how about these?" Angela said as she modeled a plain black pair of flats, "they're on sale, two for one." Hailey wanted to vomit.

"Ew, Ang, are you being serious right now?" The girl pulled out a white card from her purse.

"Jess, don't tell me you carry around an invitation with you?" Angela asked her desperately.

"Whhaaatt? I like the handwriting. Plus, the wording is so fancy!" The one called Jess scrunched up her face as she read it, putting on a low and horrible British accent, "Isabella Marie Swan and Edward Anthony Masen Cullen," Hailey let out a small gasp as she unlaced a mortifying pair of high-top sneakers and kept listening, "together with their families, request the honour of your presence at the celebration of their marriage: Saturday, thee thirteenth of August twoo thousand-and eleven, five o'clock in the evening," she took a deep breath and continued, "four-twenty Woodcroft Avenue in Forks, Washington, my good Madame!" she curtsied as Angela laughed.

"I still say you're obsessed with Edward, more than any other girl."

"Whatever, we need to focus!" Jess said with determination and walked over to another rack of shoes while Angela sat quietly, checking her phone. Hailey replaced the shoes on the rack and left the shop quickly, moving to the car as quickly as she could without others becoming suspicious of ultra-human speed.

"We need to go, now." Hailey said, getting into the car. They took off before the door was even fully closed.

They stopped occasionally to look around the forests. No scent of Cara, but there were many vampires around. If Cara was here, it would make sense she would be with them. But unlike normal vampires, there were not many dead humans around, only animals. They both heard of a new age vampire, refusing to kill humans but neither knew they existed around here. It would make sense for a small town, too suspicious.

"Do you think Cara is marrying Edward, tonight?" Ernest said as they got back into the car.

"That's what I'm afraid of…" she looked around for a moment at the tall trees. They were magical. She took off her traveling gloves, immediately returning to her natural appearance, placing them in her lap, "But the invitation did not say Cara, it said Isabella, something."

"There is always opportunity to change your name."

"True…" more silence as they drove.

"If the time comes, Hailey, we will know what to do." Ernest said calmly. Hailey smiled but they were both nervous. Nearly nine and a half decades of waiting and searching for Cara and dealing with Aron's pendulum of hope seemed to come down to this night. This lead seemed much more concrete than any other they've gotten, and therefore; much more worrisome. By the time they got to the Cullen house, the reception was in full swing. Music could be heard from a mile away (at least to them). Ernest kept watch of the car as Hailey put on her traveling gloves and proceeded into the party, seeming to look dressed for the occasion.

All around her was the smell of humans. Although mixed in were also a decent amount of vampires. She had to move quickly. Vampires, in her own experience, were always extremely territorial. She moved through the crowd, noting a few golden-eyed beautiful people, although they were not the vampires she wanted to see. Many young humans danced and drank spirits around her, the music overwhelmed her senses until everything slowed. The music dropped tempo and everyone danced closer and more romantically or sat down to avoid the whole phenomenon.

Hailey found sanctuary behind a large willow tree draped with small twinkling Christmas lights. She pulled away the great big branches and looked upon the dance floor. She saw the two girls from the mall talking at a nearby table, a blonde vampire dancing with a short black-haired vampire. The blonde one looked over hopefully at another couple slightly away from the crowd of people, dancing too slow for the already slow music. Her head rested on his shoulder as he whispered into her ear. Her hair was pulled up and whisked over her shoulder, secured by dozens of small pins with a small pearl at the end of each one. As they turned, she caught a glimpse of her lightly made up face. Her chocolate-brown eyes were illuminated by her smile. Hailey smiled a little and turned away, towards the exit, leaving Edward and his beloved alone.

Hailey and Ernest walked through the doors once more of their home in Olympia. Hailey took off her traveling gloves and put them on the hall table. She watched in the mirror as her hair shortened and lightened, as her freckles disappear and her skin pale in color. She walked with confidence to the main dining room and looked at the pictures on the mantle near the table. They'd refused to change the staff and so many of them died, although they were replaced by their children, who gained knowledge of their employers at an early age. The picture she looked at was a true treasure. Every single one of the staff, their children, some grandchildren, Ernest, her and Aron stood happily together. They were a family. A beautiful, immortalized family. Hailey walked confidently up to Aron, who'd slumped into a dining room chair and not yet felt the inspiration to move.

"Did you find her?" The question was almost a chore at this point, Aron looked at his sister heavy-heartedly. She knew that she had to honour her brother and there was just one way to do so at the given moment—

"No." Hailey lied, "But you know what?" She knelt down, meeting his eye level like a child in need of consoling after a fall, "we will find her. She is waiting for you somewhere and when you find her, you will be together. I just know you will. We just have to keep looking." Hailey gave him a smile that Aron returned, the flickering flame of hope rekindled to rage into a roaring fire.


	35. The Wedding

Hello all my lovelies! Remember how I told you that I probably wouldn't update until yesterday? Well I had come down with a mild case of writer's block yesterday morning when I was meant to be writing. But don't you fret, for today this is only the first of two chapters that I will be posting. Exciting, isn't it? Anyway, The sixth chapter from in this story had Jasper's narration, therefore, I saw it right and just to have him narrate once more in the sixth to last chapter. So, his narration is in italics for this particular chapter. Also, Cara has the ability to transfer her thoughts into other people's mind so she and Edward can have silent conversations. This will be important more in the chapters to come but for now I've got her transferred thoughts in bold italics. I'm sure it will all come together smoothly. Also, I wanted to include a chapter about Renesmee's birth but I couldn't think of a chapter's worth of content so instead, after the wedding, it ends off with Nessie's birth because it's quite important. Anyway, keep reading and commenting, makes me rather happy. I hope we can hit the 1000 views by the month's end! Cross your fingers! Cheers!

...

_The evening of the wedding was bright with moonlight. It seemed hopeful and warm, unlike the many shady and unwelcoming nights that are generally seen in Forks. Yes, indeed, that night was different. I knew that I could right our wrong and Cara could save Bella from an eternity of damnation. Although, admittedly, about an hour into the reception I thought Cara wasn't going to be here. I thought that my pleas at the bar were not enough for her sympathy and for a moment, I accepted my part in Bella's coming death. However, something seemed to shake me out of that- honestly, a few something's all at once._

_First, there was an overwhelming scent of wet dog that wafted over to Alice and I as we stood by the table of hors d'oeuvres. Next, Bella and Edward walked towards the thicker part of the woods, away from our curious ears they stayed there for a moment until Edward came out from the forest alone. Finally, as Edward stepped away from the trees, I saw Cara walk through them and I smiled happily._

"Alice, may I have this dance?"_ I said to her lovingly, reaching my hand to her. She smiled at me and took my hand. I twirled her into my arms as the music slowed a little and moved slowly with my darling wife. Every so often, I looked over to Cara and Edward. I had no idea that this dance would be their last._

As Cara walked through the trees, she saw Edward talking to the blond woman she saw the last time she saw him.  
>"Rosalie, would you like a dance?" He asked casually.<br>"No..." She said coolly and walked away, leaving Edward to look around with his hands in his pockets. Cara smiled and closed her eyes, focusing her power on him.

_**I'd love to dance.**_

Edward heard a familiar voice, although it was not spoken. It seemed to be projected in his own mind, as if it was his thought. He looked up and saw Cara. He walked up to her and smiled a little, "Care to dance?" Edward said softly, standing close to her.  
>"Of course." She breathed and immediately clung to his body. They stepped slowly for a few moments, inching farther and farther from the crowd.<br>"I suppose you came to tell me not to go through with the wedding." Edward said calmly as he stroked her hair a little.  
>"At first. But I didn't want to ruin your day." She buried her head in his shoulder, his strength so equally matched by hers.<br>"I'm sorry." He said slowly, feeling her upper back, "I have treated you so poorly... And you don't deserve that..." He tightened his grip for a moment, "You just don't know how long I have suffered over your loss and the life that was taken from us. And each time I saw you was a reminder of that." Cara felt her eyes water but tried to keep them at bay. She breathed in his scent and held him with the same strength, "Cara, you have no idea how much I love you..."  
>She let a tear fall and looked up at him, smiling, eyes sparkling behind chocolate brown color contacts. Somewhere in the forest leaves crunched discreetly, although neither of them cared, "Then be with me... We can still live the life we wanted to live. We can be together." Edward smiled at her and held her head close.<br>"Cara... My Cara, that dream is gone... It was a dream woven by the people we used to be." He kissed her head softly, Cara let a few more tears fall as she felt his lips against her forehead, "But thank you so much for always being my best friend." The song ended and he felt her back warmly, "I'm so sorry I couldn't love you the way I promised, Cara. I hope you can forgive me..." Edward looked at her, watching Cara's brave face, behind which she was dying. She even managed a smile.  
>"I hope you and Bella have a happy life together." She smiled and straightened out his jacket, "You deserve to be happy." She stood on her toes and kissed his cheek softly, "Thank you for the dance."<br>As I opened my eyes again, Edward walked towards the forest where Bella was, looking distressed and Cara walked in the opposite direction, head down, I went towards her.  
>"What's wrong, what happened?" I asked her.<br>"You are all very nice people and I'm so happy that you pushed me to see Edward again." She sniffles, barely able to keep her composure, "but he loves Bella... And I cannot change that. I'm so sorry I've failed you." She took a breath, "I wish it were different..." Cara unfolded the invitation from the inside of her sleeve and handed it to Jasper, "thank you for inviting me."

...

As Bella screamed and cried out in pain, Edward's only thought only of what he stood to lose. His wife, a fragile, iron-willed human flirted with death by his newborn child. There was blood everywhere but Edward couldn't waste time with craving, he only thought of what he could do to keep them both. Somewhere in a slur of biting and cleaning blood, he took his child in his arms. He gasped as the room seemed to breathe for a moment. The baby was fine, Bella was alive. Maybe everything would be alright. He gasped as he looked upon the child's face.  
>"It's Renesmee."<br>"She's beautiful." Bella said with barely any breath in her lungs. Edward handed his daughter over to Bella with care. He watched lovingly as she held their child. Renesmee's thoughts were that of happiness and bliss. He took her away when Renesmee's thoughts turned to thirst. Edward hushed his baby girl and watched in awe as her eyes opened slowly. Edward looked into Renesmee's eyes and gasped.  
>Renesmee. Cara.<br>Same cold, olive skin. Same knowing, chocolate-brown eyes. Can such perfection be his?  
>As he hushed the child in his arms, thinking of his former love, his wife slipped away into the grey area in which her human life ends and immortal life begins.<p> 


	36. The Proposition

Hello again my lovelies! Here is the second chapter of the night, I hope this makes up for my flakiness as of Saturday (I'm sure it does). So, in this one thoughts will be italicized while writing is bolded. I jumped a bit from where we left off. Now, the story is at the point of the second Breaking Dawn movie where people are being asked to testify and they have begun to run out of people to ask. And since then, Cara has moved from Washington to Colorado because she wanted to find a quiet sanctuary, I suppose? I'm not sure. But either way, she left and it was recent enough that Carlisle can still track her and know where she is. So, I don't want to spoil anything more, just read it and I really hope you like it. only a few more chapters to go then I'm taking a small break to do some research for the next story which will be featured on FictionPress so definitely follow and favourite me there as well as here. I forgot to say this in the last chapter, but thanks dearly to RetroReaction for reminding me that people want to know about Nessie's birth and that I am quite a brilliant writer (because every now and again I have to be told) so thanks! Also, if you have not yet read her story, check out Constants and Variables, a Ryzi fanfic about BioShock Infinte (my favourite video game ever!) which is a Reader x Booker story which I've never thought of and it's really quite brilliant. I adore it. So definitely read that and... keep looking out for updates. Cheers!

...

_Can we talk?_ Carlisle thought. He looked at Edward earnestly for a moment whom nodded slowly. Edward excused himself and they walked slowly out into the forest, away from the rest of the family in the house. Carlisle concealed his thoughts by listing all of the supplies in his medical bag, afterwards, he listed the parts of the brain.  
>"What is this about?" Edward asked quietly, "you're beginning to worry me." They stopped walking and faced each other.<br>"We have contacted everyone we could to be a witness, Edward. But no one has a direct connection with the Volturi, we're worried about how seriously they will take us if we don't have anyone who the Volturi respects." He thought of the Coronal Suture and of the Xiophoid Process.  
>"Well if we knew anyone who was close with the Volturi, we would call them, but we don't." <em>Medulla Oblongata, Cerebrum, Temporalis, Orbicularis Occuli, nasal bone.<em>  
>"We do..." Carlisle studied Edward's face as his thoughts became silent apart from one word, a name. <em>Cara...<em>  
>"No." Edward said shaking his head, "no... no no no no, no, we cannot bring her here."<br>"Edward, be rational and think this over for a moment." Carlisle said trying to calm him.  
>"No... Carlisle, I'd rather give up my life than have her come here and see Bella and Renesmee, especially her, haven't you seen how much she looks like her? I have no idea what that may do to Cara. She's a loose cannon Carlisle. Please understand that, I cannot have her near Bella. I can't allow Bella to know about her. Never." Edward took a deep breath and looked apologetically at Carlisle who then put a hand on Edward's shoulder.<br>"You may be able to give up your life, Edward, but would you also be alright with sacrificing the lives of others? Your siblings...? Our friends...? Your mother?" There was a pause, he looked sadly into Edward's eyes, "Me...?" He sighed and dropped his arm, "Edward, I don't need to tell you how dangerous this may be... if we have an advantage with Cara, I think it would be best if we took it." He spoke with respect and compassion, but Edward could sense the fear and desperation in his voice. Carlisle walked away from Edward, looking down at his shoes as he walked. Edward stood outside for hours, unmoving and overwhelmed with conflicting emotions. He sucked in a deep breath and punched nearby tree as he let out a loud, enraged cry. The trunk cracked as a few large branches shook, sending hundreds of pine needles raining down around him.

Carlisle looked towards the forest when he neared the Cullen residence. He felt like kicking himself. He knew that Edward could never handle a request like that. He stopped in the driveway looking up into the illuminated kitchen window. Esme stood in his view as Reneesme sat on her shoulders. Reneesme stroked Esme's hair as Esme spoke quietly to her. Carlisle smiled at the sight. He loved Esme beyond words. He wanted nothing else but the certainty of their safety. He knew what he had to do. He searched his pockets before finding his car keys. Quickly he got in and started the engine.

In the snowy mountainous region of Colorado, Cara lounged quietly in a quaint loft apartment overlooking the mountains. She sat in a plush recliner holding an empty mug as she flipped through the Premiere Values magazine. She had no real reason to ever buy a mug but this one had a moustache painted on it which she enjoyed so kept it around for decorative purposes. She heard a series of footsteps far off and promptly went to the door. She opened the door and stepped out to find a familiar face.  
>"Chelsea... hello." She opened the door wider. "Please." The girls walked in and Cara took her place on the recliner once more. "This is such a surprise! How have you been?" She asked with a smile. Chelsea was not amused. "What's the matter?"<br>"Are you expecting someone?" Chelsea asked with malice in her tone, wild red eyes wandering the room.  
>"Like who?"<br>"Don't lie to me, Cara, you know I hate that!"  
>"Like who, Chelsea?"<br>"Carlisle Cullen, of course." A cloaked man strolled through the still open door followed by three others. Cara looked at them as they lowered their hoods, she stood up defensively.

"What are you doing here?" Cara said searching through each of their minds.

"Carlisle has been gathering quite a few friends to testify against us. We thought that surely you would be among them." Aro stepped closer to Cara, his hand outstretched. She shrinked away from him, such dark thoughts plagued his mind. He touched her hand, she jerked it away. In a moment, Demetri held her against the wall by her throat.

"I don't like to be touched." Cara hissed.  
>Aro smiled at her and gave the signal for Demetri to release her. Demetri made no move. "Oh, and of course these two lovebirds meet again. It's been quite a while, hasn't it?" Aro chirped. Cara and Demetri exchanged murderous glares.<br>"I wouldn't call it love." Cara whispered viciously. Demetri chuckled and let her down slowly. Cara turned back to Aro, "What do you want?"  
>"We need to know that you will join us." Chelsea said slowly.<br>"Yes, dear, and to stand as one of our guards. You are still one of our most..." Aro searched for the correct word, "gifted... of the guards... even though no one is too sure of what you can do..." Aro looked at Cara and smiled.  
>"You want me to fight?" Cara said with a scoff, "The Cullens pose no threat to anyone. I do not deal with their affairs, nor yours, Aro. I'm sorry, but I would prefer to stay out of it." Near the door, Alec raged as a cloud of black smoke poured from his hands. Aro stared at Cara, not telling Alec to stop. In a second, the room was dark to Cara, but her eyes remained open.<br>"Alec, stop it, this was not part of the plan!" Chelsea screamed.  
>"Her refusal was not part of the plan." Alec rebutted. Demetri pulled Cara by her hair. She screamed, feeling the force of his hands. She could have used a shield. She could've set her body on fire so Demetri couldn't touch her. She could have fought back. But for years she fought to keep her powers hidden from Aro. She knew that if he saw the extent of her abilities, they would never let go of her. Nobody, not even Chelsea knew the vastness of it.<br>"Help us defeat the Cullens." Aro cooed, taking Cara's hand in his. "It is the only way." She put up a shield to filter out her thoughts from Aro. He didn't notice. While he looked into her mind, she searched his mind for the answers she needed. A child... an immortal child... it was Edward's.  
>"You must join our side." Aro cooed as Demetri's grip on her hair tightened.<br>"Demetri, don't kill her!"  
>"I know what I'm doing!"<br>"Stop!"

"Okay!" Cara shouted, hushing those around her. Aro let go of her, Demetri followed. The room came into focus. There was silence. Cara stared at the pattern of the wood on the floor, breathing hard, "I'll be your witness." Chelsea went to Cara and helped her up from the floor. Chelsea smoothed out Cara's hair and hugged her lightly.

"Thank you, Cara" she whispered.  
>They all slowly exited, apart from Aro who stayed behind for a moment to admire the loft.<p>

...

When Carlisle went to the door, it was already partially open. The living room looked like a tornado had gone through it—recently. He sucked in a deep breath as he looked around, spying a small slip if white paper on the coffee table. He picked it up, feeling his stomach sink down to his feet.

**She's ours.**

Aro wrote it before taking Cara away. Aro turned into a monster—a monster seeking a bloodbath.


	37. The Witnesses

As the snow fell gracefully from the sky, the only sound present in the field was that of snow crunching under the weight of feet. All together, vampires from each corner of the world stood as one on one side of the snow-blanketed clearing. The Volturi advanced a little after the Cullens and their witnesses had stopped to wait for them. After a quick count through the fog of winter, it was obvious that they were greatly outnumbered. It was to be expected, the Volturi always made sure to be greater in number than all other vampire covens combined. This was how they retained their superiority.

Cara clenched her fists tight underneath her all-too-familiar black cloak. She spied around her a few others who were there unwillingly. Not from their stern faces, but from their thoughts.

_The child does not look immortal, her eyes are not red._

_I can hear a heartbeat from where I stand, I do not want to risk my life for a misunderstanding._

_The only one who is right to die is the liar who reported this child._

_No child I've seen has ever been a threat, just annoying._

If only Aro's thoughts were as sensible. The silence was broken by the sound of much larger footsteps approaching and then a great howl which shook Cara to her bones. She'd merely heard of the wrath of wolves in passing. She'd never actually seen one. What a god awful first. There were so many of them so quickly. They snarled and showed their teeth, instilling fear in even Aro. Still, they continued on with the façade of unwavering courage and determination. After a pregnant pause, Carlisle stepped forward, humility and gentleness in his thoughts.

"Aro… let us discuss things as we used to: in a civilized manner." Carlisle's voice was soft but stern. As a doctor, he had to at least try to save lives.

"Fair words, Carlisle—but a little out of place considering the battalion you've assembled against us."

"I can promise you—that was never my intent. No laws have been broken."

"We see the child! Do not treat us as fools!"

"She is not an immortal!" Carlisle piped up with strength in his tone, "These witnesses can attest to that… or you can look. See the flush of human blood in her cheeks—"

"Artifice!"

"I will collect every facet of the truth." Aro said, raising his hand to silence his brother, "but from someone more central to the story…" he looked at Edward, "Edward." He said as if recognizing an old friend, "As the child clings to your newborn mate—I assume you were involved." Edward touched the child's head tenderly and shot a look to Bella. Cara couldn't help but cringe seeing her once more. As Edward walked off, the child walked around Bella and sought refuge, instead in a wolf standing close by. They, too, shared a look, the feeling between them could only be described as unconditional love. Astounding.

Aro hungrily took Edward's hand, reviewing over his life once more. He enjoyed the early years of Cara and Edward, he enjoyed watching the nights they shared. Edward and Cara gave him disgusted looks. Aro enjoyed even more watching Bella and Edward's faulty intimacy whilst she was human. It disgusted them. Cara sighed quietly as she saw the child's birth. They called her Renesmee.

"I'd like to meet her." Aro admitted softly, looking back at the child. Edward looked unwillingly at him, still disgusted by his obvious enjoyment over Edward's sex life. He gave a look to Bella whom then began approaching, Renesmee and the wolf following suit. She stopped for a moment and looked at the man Cara saw at the bonfire in the 30's. They'd planned this earlier—since he was the strongest she wanted his ability to protect her. They walked to Aro, the tension building.

"Ahhh, young_ Bella_," he said her name peusdo-seductively, more for the meaning of the word than her name. Cara knew the feeling, "Immortality becomes you," he said with a boyish smile. His smile grew wider as he looked at the child, her heartbeat was louder than 1000 marching bands, it nearly drowned out Aro's horridly girlish cry of excitement, "I hear a strange heart." Aro held out his hand, expectantly as Renesmee inched nearer.

"Hello, Aro." Renesmee said calmly. Her voice stunned Cara. Not only did the child look like her when she was young, but also sounded just as she did. Renesmee looked at Aro's hand and up at his face. She shocked him as her hand inched up to his cheek and rested upon it. Cara paid close attention to his mind. It was nota thought nor sight that she transferred through her touch. Only an understanding. It was stronger than any pain Jane could inflict, it was trust. Aro's eyes widened, "Magnifico." He said slowly, "half mortal, half immortal." Aro announced with confidence as Bella pulled her kin close to her side protectively, "Conceived and carried by this… newborn… while she was still human."

"Impossible." Caius muttered a little too loudly. Aro whipped around, his anger rising.

"Do you think they _fooled_ me, brother?" A long growl accompanied the growing tension as Aro advanced. Caius was speechless and afraid as Aro glanced at the wolf before it walked off. For a moment, Aro entertained the idea of coaxing one of the wolves to join the coven, but soon thought against it.

"Bring the informer forward." Caius said, never taking his eyes off Aro. A blonde vampire trudged forward, fearing the coming of her execution before her sisters, "Is that the child you saw?" Caius said with anger as the guards gathered around them. The fearful vampire looked over at Renesmee and down to the ground.

"I'm not sure," she admitted.

"Jane?"

"She's changed! This child is bigger!"

"Then your allegations were false."

"The Cullens are innocent. I take full responsibility for my mistake." She looked over to her sisters, the sadness audible in her shaky voice, "I'm sorry."

"Caius, no!" Edward shouted, but it was done.

"IRINA!" the scream was ear-splitting as the two sisters ran forward, some vampires on their side grabbing them immediately. In their struggle, the child was lifted on to the wolf she so loved.

"Blind them." Edward said maintaining composure and going to one of them, talking quickly, "Tanya—this is what they want, if you attack now, we'll all die." The one called Tanya reasoned this and relaxed. A few guards gathered around Aro protectively. Edward walked over to his daughter and fell to the ground upon Jane's glance.

"Pain." She whispered before he writhed in the snow. Jane enjoyed watching her victims squirm. She felt like a god. Cara breathed heavily and watched as Bella attempted to project a shield. It failed. Cara closed her eyes and projected her own shield around them. Jane looked frantically at the others, wanting her sense of power again. Cara's shield was impenetrable.

"It's working." Edward whispered, taking his place near his wife. Jane stared at Bella angrily, thinking it was, indeed, Bella's shield. Aro looked back straight at Cara, knowing it had to be her. He glared at her, imagining him ripping her head off her shoulders for betraying him. Cara didn't bat an eyelash. Alec opened his palms, emitting a dark cloud, Aro put up his hand, keeping his eyes on Bella. He didn't want to keep seeing Cara protect the Cullens.

"Aro, you see there's no law broken here."

"Agreed." Aro stepped closer, "But, does it then follow that there is no danger? For the first time in our history, humans pose a threat to our kind. Their modern technology has given birth to weapins that could destroy us. Maintaining our secret has never become so imperitive… in such perilous times. Only the known is safe. Only the known is tolerable. And we know nothing of what this child will become. Can we live with such uncertainty? Spare ourselves a fight today… only to die tomorrow." Some faithful guards held on each word, gasping and letting out concerned 'oh no's' Chelsea and I shared a look and then back at Aro. It was silent for a few moments then Aro gasped, looking at the trees.

"Alice."

"Alice!"

Alice walked through the snowy ground, Jasper following closely. He looked up at Cara surprised and then looked at Aro. Cara was ashamed by the inky cloak hanging on her shoulders. Demetri walked up to them and pushed them back, Felix coming forward to help Demetri restrain Jasper.

"My dear, dear Alice, we're so glad to see you here after all."

"I have evidence that the child won't be a risk to our kind… let me show you."

"Brother," Demetri loosened his grip on Alice's chest. She walked by him, hitting his arm hard in the process. Jasper looked at Cara once more.

_You're one of them? He thought sadly._

_**I had no choice.**_

Demetri followed his gaze and slapped Jasper hard. Cara looked down as Jasper struggled in an attempt to return the blow. Chelsea looked at Cara with concern and both their heads sprang up when Alice spoke.

"It doesn't matter what I show you! Even when you see—" she venomously whips her hand out of his, "You still won't change your decision!" she turned slowly and said a low, slow 'now' to Bella.

"Take care of my daughter." Bella whispered to the wolf as he ran off into the woods with her on his back like a horse from hell.

"Get them." Caius ordered as the hell of Alice's boot met Aro's chin. The world stopped as the first blow of the battle was delivered.

"Take her away."

"Let her go!" Carlisle rushed towards Alice, pushing away the guards that ran to stop him. There was a clash in the air and in a moment, Aro smiled his most devious smile and dropped Carlisle's head to the ground. Cara might have fallen to her knees if Chelsea had not held her up. It was personal now, Aro would not leave this clearing alive. Aro raised his arms as many of the guard rushed around him to attack the Cullens. Cara rushed over while Aro's back was turned, her hands outstretched, ready to end this bloodthirsty monster that Aro was. In an instant, he turned to Cara, catching her by her hair. She let out a cry of anguish.

"And just where do you think you're going? Hm?" He pushed her back as Marcus and Caius stood beside Aro, "We cannot risk you losing your head in a brawl with your lover, now can we? No, no, no, no, my_ cara_…" he stroked her cheek and then held her neck tight, you will stay here… where I can be sure that you are protecting us, not fighting us." Aro released her, holding her behind him. She looked around wildly for anyone she could project a shield upon, her eyes immediately staying on Jasper. She projected her shield which combined with Bella's. Cara smiled until a strong hand across her cheek broke her concentration.

"Who are you to keep Jane from restoring peace in this world? Can't you see she loves to use her powers?" Aro scolded. Cara desperately looked over Aro's shoulder in time to watch as Demetri chop his head from his shoulders. Alice's scream was worse than Esme's. Cara shook her head, feeling the tears of rage forming as Chelsea slapped her hand.

_Stop protecting them, you'll be murdered!_

_**Aro cannot kill me here… not in front of everyone. It is a sign of weakness.** _Chelsea was taken aback, not expecting a response to her thoughts. She looked at her sadly, her next thought a desperate whisper.

_I won't lose my best friend_

Cara looked up at her and grabbed her hand, squeezing it tight. Cara looked back into the crowd and saw Edward who met eyes with Demetri. Demetri grind his teeth when he saw Edward, knowing the history between him and Cara—it was apparently being told to any guard Aro saw fit to tell—Edward did the same, knowing the history between Demetri and Cara as well, they charged at each other, thoughts racing.

**_I will help you as best as I can, Edward._**

In that moment, Demetri gained the advantage, getting on top of Edward and punching him rapidly. Cara looked around for anything that may give Edward when the earth split. Edward fell through the divide in a moment. Cara quickly focused on suspending a sheet of rocks, giving him ground to stand upon and to shield him. Demetri walked away, feeling satisfied before Edward jumped over the rocks and tore Demetri's head off, throwing his body across the tear at Jane's side. Cara fixed on Aro, his eyes full of fear as his precious Jane was pursued by a vengeful Alice. When the wolf tore off Jane's head and flung it to the side, it became personal for Aro. The blonde vampires killed Caius, poor Marcus following suit. Cara gave a small smile, she knew the poor man was happier dead, this was no life for him. Aro stepped forward into the fight.

_If Aro is harmed, we must attack._

_**I will not kill a loved one for such a brute.**_

_They may not feel as compassionate._

Cara turned to Edward, watching him struggle with Aro holding his arms.

_**Jump on him. Pull off his head.**_Cara projected into Bella's mind.

Bella took the advice unquestioningly. Cara melted the snow beneath Aro, allowing a finer slip. As Aro's head tumbled onto the snow, the guards ran past her, attacking Bella and Edward. Cara undid her cloak and ran to fight off the guards when a large black wolf engulfed her view. She felt its teeth around her neck as she heard from a distance her name being screamed. It was Edward.

As Aro let go of Alice's hand, Cara looked up from the snowy ground. She stared at the burned body of the girl called Irina, the smell of fiery hair wafting through the crowd. Cara looked at Edward with a deep sadness, his look was only that of satisfaction.

_He will not harm any of us, Cara._

_**I'm not sure…**_

Cara searched Edward and Alice's mind for the source of their confidence. It was another hybrid. Somehow, such a thing is possible.

**_He will kill you for what you showed him. Maybe not today, but such a day will come…_ **Cara stifled a cringe and looked towards the trees.**_ I refuse to watch you die, Edward. Not today, not ever. I love you far too much._**

_He will not kill me._

**_He will… you have not seen the things he has done, Edward. You are not as afraid of him as you rightfully should be._** She looked at Edward then closed her eyes, projecting to him a vision of Aro's head popping off his neck and then Cara appearing beside him, holding the severed head like a trophy. **_I must end him before he can bring harm to you. _**She disappeared and stayed invisible as she silently made her way over the crowd and next to Aro.

"But what if you were sure she could remain concealed from the human world? Could we leave in peace?" Edward called over, hoping Cara knew to stop.

"Of course, but that cannot be known."

"Actually, it can." Edward said grinning at Alice. Cara read her thoughts as well, seeing the man before he walked through the snow. Astonishing. She returned to her place next to Chelsea, remaining undetected by the others. As the hybrid spoke, Cara's breathing calmed slightly as she turned visible, reading Aro's thoughts. Now, it mattered not what this half human said, he just wanted to leave the bloodied clearing.

"Dear ones…" Aro began, turning away from the hybrid and allowing fear to drip from his words, "There is no danger here…" Aro looked at Cara, not forgetting her betrayal of the Volturi, even in a future that no longer existed, "We will not fight… today." As a few members turned to leave, Cara stayed, watching Edward's face go from triumphant to worried as he read Aro's thoughts.

_Get away from them, Cara… They will kill you well before they kill me._

_**Will you protect me if they try?**_

She watched his face as he looked down, ashamed, _I can't._

Cara bit her lip, holding back tears and turning, walking next to Chelsea, _**Goodbye, Edward.**_ Cara put her shield back up and ran with the others. Chelsea helped her get off the course and hide away until the others were long gone so she could escape again.

...

Hello, all of my lovelies! Yes, this chapter was meant to be posted Monday but I felt lazy and didn't want to transcribe the fight scene, but yesterday I did because I thought isn't it silly that I'm procrastinating on a chapter that's basically already written for me? So, today, almost our last Wednesday together for this story, I give you three chapter, this being the first of them. Today I will post the near end of part two and next week I will post the end and our final goodbye. But, hold your tears back, my darlings. After a short, well-deserved break I shall dive into a bit of research and begin plotting my next story which shall be published on FictionPress. I may publish a few poems so you know I haven't died in the interim but do watch for my posting there. Anyway, as I've told you last chapter, the bold italics are Cara projecting thoughts in other's mind while the italics are just thoughts, unspecific to whose thoughts but I have mentioned who thought it so I believe it flows well. This is a long one since I didn't cut much out. But all credit to 80% of the dialogue goes to Summit films, Stephanie Meyer, Twilights Best youtube channel and the like. I feel its also important to say that, as many already know, in Italian, bella means beautiful, which I think is why Aro goes a notch above creepy when he says her name. Also, cara in Italian means dear (which you may not know... unless you speak Italian). So, ya, I think that's just about everything. The next two chapters are coming shortly. Cheers!


	38. The Return

Edward turned to the final page in the larger journal. It was his person journal he'd kept since he found it tucked away on his bookshelf some time ago. The last entry had no date apart from the very vague title of **The day the snow sticks, 2011. **It was only half a page long. He tore off one half and stuffed it deep in the crevice of Renesmee's jacket that day. It told her how much he loved her and he would protect her, even in death. But the second half was more personal than even his supposed last words to his only child. The second half was for him. Which he wrote after returning home that fateful day.

**In all of my time here, in this life and my previous, there has never been another quite like Cara. And I know well that I have mistreated her in unforgivable ways, yet her loyalty is unwavering. Cara has never stopped being my fiancée, despite the fact that I stopped being hers. I pushed her away when she only offered words of kindness because I saw myself in her. I saw the life that was taken from me and the unfair circumstances that led me to years of misery. She never deserved so much negativity and abuse. She loved me. As a friend, as a lover, and as a person. She wanted only the best for me and I repaid her with abuse and affairs. I was wrong about her and I hope that when I need her again, she will not cone for me. She has protected me for too long, reaping no benefit for herself or even thanks from me. I can only hope that I can begin to feel the amount of maltreatment and suffering that I put her through. It is only fair.**

Edward close the book and placed it next to the pile of thinner journals from his childhood. Edward looked at the clock with confusion in his eyes. 8:31. The moon hid behind the clouds that always hung around Forks. It was Sunday. There was still time. Edward was downstairs in an instant, grabbing his car keys and his jacket (not that he'd ever feel the cold, it was just habit). He saw Jasper on his way to the garage.

"What are you doing?" Jasper asked in a low, concerned voice.

"You wouldn't understand." Edward said gruffly and tried to move away, Jasper held a hand on his chest, looking at him.

You're going to get Cara, aren't you? Jasper thought in a whisper. Edward grind his teeth and tried to push past him again.

"Let me go, Jasper."

"What are you doing? You're married to Bella now… and you have Nessie. You had the chance to be with her but you chose Bella. Do not go back on your vows now."

"And what if… I chose wrong?" Edward said through gritted teeth. Jasper let his arm fall to his side, stepping away from him.

"Then you have to be a man and deal with it… or be a coward and change it." Jasper spat. They stared each other down for a few moments as a door opened. Tiny footsteps walked into the house and stopped at the entrance to the garage where Edward and Jasper were. Bella looked at them with pain in her eyes.

"Hi…" she said softly, looking at Edward.

"I thought you guys were coming back Monday." Jasper said, smiling a little at Bella.

"Carlisle and Esme are still there… They don't know I left…" Bella looked at Edward like a wounded lamb asking for forgiveness from her lion, "Can we talk, Edward?"

Edward looked from Bella's hurt face to Jasper's judgmental one, his thoughts were strong but soft, "Don't do this, Edward, just talk to Bella."

"I'm sorry, but I have to go." Edward said and in an instant he was putting his key in the ignition, waiting for the garage door to open.

"Jasper… Where is he going?" Bella said near tears. Jasper couldn't look at her, he just stared disbelievingly at the closed door before him.

"I don't know." He lied softly and walked to his bedroom. He took a small bottle of merlot from underneath the bed he and Alice shared. He uncorked the bottle, taking a small drink from the half-full bottle as he listened to Bella's broken-hearted sobs from the garage entrance.

Edward sped down the highways at top speed towards Colorado.

During our time together in the church house, Cara told me of her growing desire to live in Aspen. She referred to it as a city from a snow globe. I knew if she would be anywhere, she would be there. I slowed my car when I reached the welcome to aspen sign an hour past dusk the next day. I stopped in a public parking and walked around the city, searching for Cara. As I walked, I reached into my pocket and felt a small object, taking it out with joy. The pencil. I hold onto this pencil now with joy, the pencil stands for everything we are and can ever be. Holding onto it gives me a confidence I never had before. I know my decision is right. I will be with Cara now.

I searched until it was nearly ten. Even in the late night, people walked the streets, coming in and out of buildings, talking gleefully with loved ones. I might have been one of them. I saw Cara and me in everyone I passed. We would start life anew in a heaven we create. I just needed my angel to complete the picture. And so I found her. Not surprisingly in Paradise already. The lights in the café were dimmed romantically as a single girl wiped down the counters. She punched a few buttons on the register and took a slip of paper from the machine. She walked out with a rehearsed smile and placed the paper down. This is when I saw my love, although she was with another. She was not paying attention when the girl placed the check on the table but looked up when a small ping hit the paper. I walked to the other end of the street, turning to watch. She held the pencil in awe, finally spotting me. I looked at her, she looked at me. We were children again, tied together by a singular misshapen pencil and the words it has written. I cannot muster a thought as I watch her, her mind also just as silent.

A breath.

A decision.

A heart break.

As Edward walked through the doors of his home in Forks, his family greeted him warmly. No one, apart from Jasper, knew his actions. Edward placed his car keys in his jacket and placed that on the couch. He walked over to Bella slowly, her eyes red, her cheeks wet. He touched the back of her head, not with love, so much as caution. He looked into her golden eyes and kissed her forehead. Bella gasped with joy, closing her eyes, savouring the touch of his lips against her skin. The family smiled and dispersed slowly, only Jasper remained, who shook his head slowly and left the room. He knew the truth, although he would never admit it to anyone. It was simply another filthy secret Jasper would keep locked away in his mind.

...

Whoo, that was a doosy, eh? Aww, just two more chapters then I have to say goodbye :"( its alright though, I have wonderful news, we have officially reached 1000 views! 1044, to be exact! Oh, I'm quite happy, all of you who have read this have made me so happy. I'm so grateful to all my readers, I wish I could hug every single one of you. I'm so thrilled. And so, now I will be posting the link to the Instagram I shall create specifically for my writings. Oh, I'm so overjoyed, thank you all so much, I can't even express a fraction of my happiness now. I could harp on it for days but, we must move on. I chose Aspen because it truly is the most picturesque place to end a story. It's beautiful and snowy and so close to the mountains. Also, since it's Colorado, Cara won't be burned to a crisp for 90% of her day. Also, Aspen is home to a beautiful little café called Paradise Bakery. It's very quaint, in the city, which I pictured for the end, and has outdoor seating. So, also, back to the beginning, remember that big desk journal Carlisle found back when Cara left? Well guess what Journal Edward has been using to document his life so far. That is truly the one hundred years worth of journals. Oh, in case you're wondering, it takes roughly 22 hours to get from Forks to Aspen by car (according to Google Maps, of course). So I figured that you cut it down to about 18 hours if Edward is truly gunning it. Anyway, two down, one to go. Then the end... the feeling is so bittersweet. Thank you again to all reading this now, I am so lucky to have you here.


	39. The Evanescence

Hello my lovelies! This marks the last of my three-chapter update for today, meaning one more chapter! Wow, this has been a crazy day. I've never written three chapters so quickly, I just woke up so ready for the day. It was absolutely amazing. I'm so looking forward to getting more comments as the end inches closer. Its so exciting. Anyway, as usual, the _italicized_ wording signals Edward's narration, while the normal font means Cara's narration. The _**bold italics** _means both are speaking. Oh... I really wish this could be read as a poem... It would be so hauntingly beautiful... Hmmm... That sounds a bit familiar... Have I said that before? Oh well. Thanks for reading, I hope you're all just as excited for next week as I. Cheers!

...

_In the dark of night, there was fire._

_I stared into the fire for a while before I fed its hungry flames._

_Slowly, I tore away pages of my life from its leathery prison._

_They curled and writhed slowly in the heat, almost as if it could feel the flames._

My life burned.

The fire singed the fibers of the pages and burned off its black ink.

I added them into the fire without looking.

They were memories I didn't care to keep with me any longer.

_**Keeping the journals…**_

_It gave me comfort as it plagued my soul._

It pained me every day as it made me happy every moment I read them.

_**There is no way to explain the possession they had over me.**_

_It was disgraceful._

It was romantic.

_It was amazing._

It was disgusting.

_My only hope was that she kept her journals all these years._

I knew he kept his journals all these years,

I knew he thought of me when he saw them.

_I wish I could take back all that I've done to her,_

_But now all I can do is move on and watch my childhood crackle in the flames._

As I stand before the fire, each page…

**_Every beautiful memory was burned…_**

Burn. _Burn._ Burn. _Burn._

_I knew I couldn't make her mine._

Burn,_ burn,_ burn, _burn._

And I could not let myself be heartbroken again.

Burn…_ Burn…_ Burn… _Burn…_

_With every slow tear of a page,_

Burn…_ Burn… _Burn… _Burn…_

I felt an ounce of relief.

Burn…

_**If…**_

_Burn…_

_**When I forget,**_

Burn.

_I know she will be happy._

_Burn._

And finally,

Burn.

**_We will be content._**

**_Burn…_**

But for right now,

Burn…

_All I heard,_

_Burn…_

Was the calming sound of another page burned.

Burn…

_Burn._

Burn.

_Burn._

_**Burn.**_

…


	40. Epilogue

_It's been nearly fifteen years since I last loved my Edward. We've been apart since the day of the battle and I've been generally content. That is, of course until about three months ago. I took an indefinite break from the Volturi's repression and escaped Italy. Just me. I wanted to return to America and how could I possibly deny myself that freedom?_

_And since then, I have been different. I studied at ungodly hours of the night for college classes. I always smelled as if espresso came out of my pores and I always wrote Chelsea in secret. Anyway one night, I asked my boss if I could work overtime. I wanted to study. My boss at the Paradise Bakery always trusted me to stay late during the hours where no one wanted to work so it happened. And what happened that night... it was better than I could've ever imagined._

_It was normal as usual. All-nighter students, people passing craving doughnuts, insomniacs roaming in the streets late at night. It must have been three or four people whom would stay awake to see the light of day. Often, I would take long breaks at slow times and study, hoping the words would sink in. I was so pleased with myself. I listened to violins while studying, like a good student. When I got bored, I organized the pastries so if my boss checked, it wouldn't matter what I did that night, just as long as the shop always looks well kept. I placed the truffles on platters and arranged them on shelves. Only my psychology book lay out in the open. I waited for customers, patiently, when the footsteps approached I decided to get some more teacake from the back in case coffee was not desired. When the door opened, I dropped my tray._

_There was a thin streak of butter running down the side of the cake. It was so small, barely noticeable to a human. But it sent me off._  
><em>For a second, I screamed and cursed in my mind. I said my normal greeting and apologized for needing a moment; I needed to get my clean floor nice again. I knew that if I didn't clean it immediately, I wouldn't be able to get it off with any amount of my strength. Always being sanitary is simply in my nature. Although it was not in my nature to ignore my customers. To my surprise, there was silence. I reached into the familiar nearby cleaning cabinet and took out a small container, filled almost half way with a thin, clear liquid. I poured it on the floor; the artifical lemon scent permeated the room.<em>  
><em>"I'm sorry..." I sighed, throwing away the crumbs, "I'm supposed to be helping you now." I stood and picked the tray off the floor, "That's why I'm here." I put the tray in the dishwasher.<em>  
><em>"I've got time... everything I have is packed and soon I'll be home, with my sister, there's nothing I need to do. See, now, I don't need to search anymore. Now I found you." The voice was undenyably familiar to me at this point. I lightly scraped my finger on the side of the counter and prayed I wasn't hearing things.<em>

_"So you love me, after all these years we were apart?" I turned around and he was standing there, "Still?" I was at the counter, "HOW CAN YOU, ARON?" In an instant all the hurtful things Edward told me flooded my mind and angered me, almost as if Edward was saying it again. Aron held my hand bringing me to relax slightly, I neared tears._  
><em>I have never felt quite like that before.<em>  
><em>Nobody's spoken to me, not about what I have been through ever since I left Michigan to look after my parents all those years ago so we talked and now we are different. I can trust him as I wanted to. He confided in me, mainly about how they struggled to stay alive. And I acknowledged such struggles. I also experienced them myself. We felt so completed that we nearly starved ourselves to death. Ten days we went without a drop of blood. Human or not. We just couldn't be apart. We both gave in and decided to hunt together in Aspen for a weekend. This is our very last night here. Earlier tonight, we simply watched people go by, waiting to see anyone who would probably count as fair game, any creep or scumbag would do.<em>

_"Good night." A waitress told us after a while, "Please pay at the front counter." She walked off and I refocused and closed my eyes to listen. I listened carefully, slightly disgusted with people._  
><em>They were a mess.<em>  
><em>I took a minute to open my eyes to talk and I saw something I haven't thought of in years. There, on the table was an awkwardly shapen and well worn-out dull pencil. It was eraserless, of course. I knew that already. It rolled away, off the bill. I stood it up straight on the table to hold it. It started to fill me with very sacred memories of a time of complete happiness and bliss. I picked it up, the familiar heaviness weighed down my fingertips. I placed the pencil sideways on the table. As it rolled one thing suddenly caught my eye. It was a shadow. I pushed the thought from my head and looked at the face that I will swoon guiltlessly over.<em>

_Aron._  
><em>His name flooded me with happpiness, a rare happiness. I smiled, oogling him.<em>  
><em>Aron.<em>  
><em>It still amazes me how he never stopped loving me. No, he never stopped loving me ever, that is why he was never with anyone else since me.<em>  
><em>Aron.<em>  
><em>Aron is where my story ends.<em>  
><em>I looked down at the pencil which had rolled to the ground. I was eight years old when I gave Edward that pencil. I had only just moved next door to him about four months prior, but he and I were already best friends.<em>  
><em>I retrived the worn pencil swiftly, sucking in a breath, unsure of what I had just gotten myself into and it wasn't okay.<em>  
><em>I heard him, he was there listening.<em>  
><em>Here I am, torn between them without explaining them. Edward is my best friend. Edward is one of the reasons why I am the kind of person I am today. Edward is, without a doubt in my mind, the person whose caused me the most pain and suffering in my life. Edward was many things. But above all, Aron is my true love.<em>

_..._

Before I end this story, I would just like to point out the fact that this story has been on my mind ever since I saw the deleted scenes of Twilight. Ever since then, my brain has scrambled, spewing out small bits of dialogue on the margined of loose leaf paper, a drawing of a lop-sided pencil with no eraser, a name, misspelled in order to achieve uniqueness. All of these small tid bits of inspiration have grown up and blossomed into this story... Forty chapters, averaging just about 1600 words each. Nearly eight months, covering the angst and heartbreak of 100 years. And here I sit, polishing off the ending to a story that I have been too afraid to write for nearly four years, and I am so full of happiness and gratitude. I am so thankful to all of you faithful readers who have helped me trudge on through the writers block all this time and even to those who read a line of this story and never think about it ever again. I am so delighted to have this story out there, since it always seemed to be the story that would never be written. I hope that if you liked the way I write and the way my mind seems to generally work, you will follow my work to FictionPress, where I'll be for a bit after a small hiatus. Oh, and since we have reached our coveted 1000 views mark, you can now follow me on Instagram, as promised, whatifitoldyou_writings and please do, I'd rather love it. Finally, as the sun sets on this story that I've truly poured my heart into all this time (I hope, by the way, that it goes without saying that this last chapter was now Cara's narration and that her and Aron will live on happily as Edward and Bella will live happily as well), I find myself in need of a well-deserved kip. A huge thanks to RetroReaction for writing my summary for this story and for just being her, thanks so much to Twilight and RetroReaction and really, all others who have inspired me through this journey, knowingly or otherwise. And so, for the last time in quite a while, I say, thank you, my lovely readers. Cheers!


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